County Attorney Tim Scannell, still on leave after becoming victim to a shooting by a convicted defendant immediately following a December trial at the courthouse, went before the county board on January 24, 2012 to talk about improving security at the courthouse. With him were Assistant County Attorney Molly Hicken and Sheriff Mark Falk.
According to a memo to the board from Scannell and Hicken, the defendant, Daniel Schlienz, “was able to commit these crimes because we did not have in place adequate safety measures in our courthouse.
“This incident cannot be allowed to affect the process of law in our community. In order to address the real harm and threat that this shooting caused and revealed, we must put in place adequate safety measures. The prosecutors and judges are likely most at risk, but many other departments and the commissioners also must be protected, along with the public who use this central facility of our civil secular society.”
In the memo, Assistant Attorney Hicken outlined some of the costs of failing to provide adequate security, saying fear for personal safety could affect charging and sentencing decisions made by judges and prosecutors, the public might avoid accessing courthouse services or attending court hearings, jurors and witnesses might be hesitant to take part in criminal proceedings, physical and psychological harm would ensue if other violent incidents occurred, the county could be at risk of being sued, and the county’s image could be tarnished if those in charge “failed to act after a preventable tragedy has occurred.”
The county attorneys asked the board to require all outside courthouse doors to remain locked except for the main entrance on the west side of the building, to authorize the Sheriff ’s Office to send personnel to monitor certain public proceedings and have weapon scanners available, and to modify the county attorney’s office to create better security, including a bulletproof glass door. Hicken said she keeps the entire office area locked at all times now, with a note on the door asking people to knock loudly if they want to talk to someone inside.
Sheriff Falk outlined a number of ways the entire court-related wing of the building could be remodeled to increase safety. “This incident has forced us to look at the security of the courthouse overall,” he said. “I just see no reason to allow the public to access the courthouse through every crook and cranny and door. …I’ve just never liked the whole setup from the start.”
Falk said having the jail attached to the courthouse would be better, as would keeping inmates from having contact with the public. That would prohibit an inmate from being able to access a weapon from a co-conspirator from the community.
“I just want to stress the urgency of planning to make these changes and making these changes,” Assistant County Attorney Hicken said. Coming up on the court calendar are felony cases, including sex offender cases, family court involving alleged domestic violence, and child protection cases. She asked the board to keep an open mind, listen to recommendations, and give deference to a security committee that has been formed and that will meet for the first time on February 3.
The public doesn’t necessarily know the kind of work that goes on in the county attorney’s office, Attorney Scannell said. Some of the people they deal with are violent people. The December shooting “obviously pulled the curtain back” and revealed the issues facing courtrooms across the country, he said. No one, however, expected Dan Schlienz to reach the level of violence he did, Scannell said.
Commissioner Fritz Sobanja wondered if security should be examined throughout the county, such as at the hospital, the school, Grand Marais City Hall, and the Grand Portage Casino. Sheriff Falk said two “officer-involved” shootings have occurred in his department in the last two years, and he never thought he would see that up here. He agreed that security throughout the entire community should be examined.
The board unanimously passed a motion to lock all courthouse doors except for the main doors on the west side of the building, authorizing the Sheriff ’s Office to provide personnel to monitor selected public meetings for the next three months and use the department’s weapon-detecting wand as deemed necessary, and put a committee to work on making changes to the courthouse building to increase security. That committee will be comprised of Sheriff Mark Falk, Maintenance Director Brian Silence, County Attorney’s Office personnel, and Commissioner Sue Hakes.
The Cook County Security Committee convening February 3 will include representation from the Sheriff ’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office, the Maintenance Department, Public Health & Human Services, the Personnel Department, Information Systems, the Sixth Judicial District, Court Administration, the county board, the Probation Department, and Emergency Management.
Commissioner Hakes said she thought it was ridiculous having a sign on the courthouse door asking people not to wear fragrances inside the building but not having a sign prohibiting firearms. Attorney Scannell agreed, saying such a sign would be a statement that words are where we should start and end in dealing with conflict.
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