European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday december 27, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here kiddie court driving out bus woes Wiir Burg program targets Young troublemakers by John Millar War Zunni Tanau woj Ryburg. West Germany Joey knew he was in trouble. Big time. The sight or the Man with the big Bushy eyebrows and fiery eyes told him so. Do you know Why you re Here the Man with the eyebrows asked from behind his desk. Yes sir Joey replied in the strongest 8-year-old voice he could Muster. His troubles started 48 hours earlier while he Rode the bus to school. At the time eating on the bus and rough housing with his friends seemed harmless. Jory. Which is not his real name shrugged olt nol having his bus pass and paid Little attention to the Soldier on the bus who had taken i name. Now. He stood in front of col. Cal Deli Santa s desk in bus court system designed to make parents children and the Chain of command face up to school bus problems. Called kiddie court by some the system evolved from troubles that started on school by pcs about a year ago. We had children complaining about what was happening on the buses said maj. Antonio Salomon director of logistics in the Wiir Burg military Community. There were fights. They were being harassed by the older kids on the  one child complained that she was being sexually harassed on bus  said. Others said children had knives on the buses. It All culminated when we got a whole Bunch of complaints within a two week time period Salomon said. But Community officials were helpless to investigate some of the allegations he said. Basically we were having to take Achild s word Over another child she added. In some cases that was very  Salomon said the bus Drivers under contract to ferry children on the 100 bus routes through Giebels Adl Kitzinger Wortheim and Wirz Burgart responsible Only for driving. To remedy the problem the military Community started a bus monitoring program. Soldiers or spouses whose children ride buses Are required to perform monitoring duties periodically. They write reports on Rule breaking youngsters after each ride and the a Young defendant stands before col. Meal Delisante during a session of bus court in Worth nor West Germany. S4s pm my reports arc Given to one of n a installation commanders in the Wurzburg military Community. The commanders have been Given jurisdiction Over the buses in their areas and the children who ride them. Salomon said. They can also decide what action to take against children who Bieak bus rules. Most commanders make their judgments by Reading bus monitors reports. In severe cases they May talk to parents and youngsters in person. Do Lisanc. Who commands the 69lh air defense arty brigade and Emery Cavern takes time to meet with the children. Although it s time consuming. I think that getting the kid in Here As Well As the Parent shows an interest that it s not lightly looked  Delisante said. From what i be seen Over the past ear it s had a positive  when kiddie court first opened last january. Delisante heard some serious cases including one in which teen agers beat up an 8-Ycar-old on the bus. On of the teen agers explained his actions by saying i just wanted to be  such cases arc a thing of the past Delisante said. The incidents i Deal with now arc general1 very minor Delisante said. Many involve children who won t stay in their scats. For a 6-year-old kid 30 minutes sitting on a bus that does t have scat belts is probably a difficult  said Delisante a father of five. Realizing this he tries to make the court not so frightening and he sometimes offers Jelly Beans to defendants. "1 try not to make  he said. But having to appear before a colonel in a strange military office is like being called into the principal s office. I Barken Back to my Days of school and that was a big event an emotional experience that you remember Delisante said. This is probably a big event in their  most children readily admit their wrongdoings and get away with a Stern warning. Usually Delisante also orders parents to lecture them on school bus rules. And although the children May leave court with a few Jelly Beans they also leave with memories of the Guy with the menacing eyebrows. Repeat offenders can expect to be suspended from he bus. Such was Joey s Case. This is the second time i be seen you this month Delisante told the youngster. You Don t get any Candy this  finn who fought $ 11,400 speeding Fine likes system Helsinki Finland Ai j a 41-year-old Busi Nessman fought for four months to get his $11,400 speeding Fine reduced 10 ji.050, but he still says Fin land s traditional system of punishment based on a person s wealth is fair. Police in August nabbed Rainer Rooth for driving his Bow 75 Mph in a 50 Mph zone and tax authorities set the s11.400 Fine based on his 1987 income. Penalties for exceeding the Speed limit by More than 10 Mph Are based on what the offender says is his annual income. The minimum is $5. The principle of paying fines according to earnings has been around for years and finns say the Fine is the fairest Way to punish offenders. Even Rooth who May have received the highest Tine on record does t argue with  think the system is just but there has to be some kind of limit said Rooth who built a tourist attraction based on the wild West. When ticketed. Rooth told police he was getting no income from his business which was heavily m debt. The Case went to the tax authorities who ruled that Kolh s earnings in 1987 were roughly $300.000 and set the Fine at is 1.400. Rooth protested and the Case was twice adjourned. I did t earn that kind of Money when the offence occurred Rooth  week the court reduced the Fine to $1,050. Rooth estimated he paid at least $3,000 with Legal costs  Tell you. The Taxman was after me it s As simple As that. The new Fine is still not right but i can live with it. Another Appeal would probably Cost just As much he said. Kauko Aromaa a Justice ministry researcher said the system of lines based on income was a just Way to punish  Day Fine is at most one third of an offender s daily income based on Gross annual earnings. The number of Day fines an offender is Given is determined by the severity of the offence. Root was Given 27 Day fines for his High Speed  1987, the Day Fine system was used in 350,000 cases ranging from traffic offences burglaries Drunken driving embezzlement and assault. Police admit the system has , we know that most of those we Stop in a Speed trap lie about their pay but we can t Check them All. But mostly if they make it credible enough we won t doubt it said Antti Kivela duty officer at the Helsinki traffic police department. Obviously when someone who drives a big Bow says he does t have a source of income we Are going to suspect something that Guy was asking for it Kive la said of Rooth. Kivela said that the average speeding Fine around Helsinki is $120 to $240, but $1,000 fines arc not  a widely publicized Case last year a Northern court rejected As too Low the Fine Given to Matti Ardc. Who was then parliament speaker. A Quick Check found that he lied about his income. Sure there s a loophole in the system. It is almost Asif we arc challenging people to give wrong information because it s not a Cnoc to lie about your income to i he  said Aromaa