The Behavioral Assessment Unit consists of the Workplace Violence Team and the Mobile Crisis Team. The Unit is staffed by a Lieutenant, Sergeant and five patrol officers. The Baltimore County Police Department began a workplace violence prevention program in September 1999 after several episodes of workplace violence that occurred in the Hunt Valley area of Baltimore County. A Federal grant was secured that enabled the department to start a program of educating the business community in workplace violence awareness, investigating cases of violence in the workplace and the management of cases where threats of harm had taken place. The goals of this program include raising the awareness of the business community of the seriousness of workplace violence, reducing the incidence of workplace related violence through the development of violence prevention programs, assessing and managing threats of targeted violence and lastly, enhancing relationships between the police department and the business community. The relationship between the victim and offender may be of special interest concerning crime in the workplace. Many of these incidents have been attributed to disgruntled employees and domestic disputes that occur between individuals currently related, or who have had previous relationships. Homicide is the second leading cause of death in the workplace, surpassed only by transportation accidents. Workplace violence consists of an assortment of variables, ranging from crimes by strangers or customers, to current or previous employees. In many cases domestic violence follows the employee to work. A national survey conducted by the Department of Justice revealed that 65 percent of violent workplace incidents were domestic related. The Workplace Violence Team provides several levels of services at no cost to the consumer. We provide workplace violence prevention seminars for managers, employee assistance and human resource professionals to address personnel problems and intervention. We will provide help in case investigation, intervention, assessment and management strategies for threats of violence. We will assist with the prosecution of cases as necessary through a relationship with the State's Attorney's Office and local courts.
We recognize that some of your information will be of a sensitive nature. The relationship between your business and the Workplace Violence Team will be held in confidence. We provide an e-mail address for individuals to report potential problems anonymously to the police department. You may contact the Behavioral Assessment Unit, Workplace Violence Team by calling Lt. Stephen Gossage or Officer Cathleen Batton at 410-931-2145
Revised August 31, 2006 | 
Courthouse 