Have you ever found yourself being judgmental about someones ideas only to be pro

ven wrong? This happened to me with one of my co-workers. I thought she was stra
nge and an alarmist, but it turned out that her fears were justified.
We work for a public social service agency. Our office is located in the lower l
evel of a government center that houses court services, probation, law enforceme
nt, public records and court rooms. Basically any government service on a local
level that is needed is available in our building. This means that there are a g
reat number of people in and out of the building on any given day. The co-worker
that was driving me nuts insisted that she should have bullet proof windows in
the reception area where she works. She felt this way because the clerks of cour
t as well as the dispatchers in the sheriffs department have bullet proof windows
in their areas. I could understand the need for these precautions in the other
two areas because of the nature of the people that these clerks are dealing with
; however in our area the majority of people that re coming in are trying to get
financial assistance or mental health services.
In social services the most volatile people we meet are when we are out in the f
ield entering peoples homes. Those of us that are in the field never know if the
person has a weapon available to them or if they are going to attack with a chem
ical of anything else. People that are angry with social services and are trying
to avoid the social workers, rarely come into the office. My concern was that h
aving bullet proof windows in the lobby would be insulting to the clients that w
ere coming in for financial aide. It seemed to play into the stereo type that po
or people are violent and that we need to be protected from them. Administration
did not feel the same way I did and the bullet proof windows were installed. It
was one time in my life that I was glad that I was not listened to.
About three months after the bullet proof windows were installed a father that w
as angry about the child support he was court ordered to pay came looking for hi
s child support officer. When he was told that he would need to make an appointm
ent to have a meeting with the officer he pulled a gun and demanded to see the o
fficer immediately. The receptionist closed the windows and pushed the panic bu
tton by her desk. Law enforcement came in and arrested the man without incident;
however the situation could have been much worse. The receptionist was right ab
out needed the protection of the bullet proof windows.