What should the price of security be—or the cost for peace of mind? What amount of security should the county try to provide for its employees? On March 20, 2012, in light of the December 15, 2011 shootings at the courthouse, the county board authorized an expenditure of $29,400 for the installation of a bullet resistant glass enclosure outside the county attorney’s office.
In addition, the board agreed to hire consultant Steve Swenson, director of the Center for Judicial and Executive Security of St. Paul, to conduct an assessment of overall courthouse security and make recommendations regarding “strategic gaps” in security.
Since the shooting, all but the main west door of the courthouse have been locked, and security cameras have been mounted throughout the building. A security committee was formed and has recommended numerous initiatives to increase safety.
Courthouse security assessment
The assessment by Steve Swenson will examine not only the physical layout of the building but policies, procedures, and plans currently in place. The estimated $5,000 cost will include two visits: three days on the first visit to inspect the site and conduct interviews and two days on the second visit to go over findings and answer questions from county officials.
Swenson will assess the level of risk at the courthouse, which is defined as the severity of consequences times the likelihood of an attack times the likelihood of success.
A document produced by the company on risk assessments states, “Prisoner escapes are an example of one type and level of specific risk identified with courthouses. Consequently, escapes would be measured and assessed from multiple designated site areas within the facility (e.g., holding cells, prisoner circulation, courtrooms) against the introduction of weapon(s), accomplices, negligent policies and procedures, injuries/death….”
Bullet-resistant enclosure
The glass wall and door will be installed in the alcove outside the county attorney’s office just to the right of the doorway leading into the back of the courtroom. Visitors to this suite will get buzzed in by staff. County Attorney Tim Scannell said this is what many other county attorney offices have in place. The employee office areas in the Public Health & Human Services Department have had secure entrances for years.
The board authorized Maintenance Director Brian Silence to seek bids on moving the guardian ad litem’s office, currently adjacent to county attorney offices, to the court administration area and turning the space into a secure conference room. County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers agreed to find out if state funds could be accessed for changes to the court administration area because the staff there has requested modifications to its front desk in order to improve their own level of safety as well.
Other measures
County Attorney Scannell reported that the Security Committee is working on building an access from the assistant county attorney’s office to an area with a safety exit in the court administration office. “We need a way to get out of there,” he said, “and right now we don’t have an effective way to get out of there.”
“I think what Tim is doing is totally appropriate,” said Sheriff Mark Falk. He noted that Beltrami County has also made security changes inside their courthouse in the wake of a shooting that took place outside the building.
The Security Committee would like to see the hallway outside the courtroom reconfigured so that defendants don’t walk right by the county attorney’s office area on their way into the courtroom. Toward this end, the county board approved an expenditure of not more than $2,200 to move a conference room door currently leading to the west hallway to the corridor adjacent to the courtroom, where doors already in place are now locked during court proceedings. Defendants would enter that corridor from the east and meet with their attorneys or wait for their hearings in one of two rooms off that corridor. This corridor would be under the watch of a bailiff and any other law enforcement personnel present.
Discussion
Commissioner Sue Hakes wondered how much the county should spend to make changes. “Are we going to bulldoze our entire courthouse and start over,” she asked, “are we going to do nothing, or are we going to do something in between?”
Commissioner Fritz Sobanja wondered if the county should go ahead with the glass enclosure outside the county attorney’s office before the professional risk assessment was completed and suggested that perhaps “more voices” should be heard before proceeding. The incident in December might be a once-ina lifetime event, he said. “The tension and tenseness is still probably at a high point with you,” he said to Attorney Scannell. The county attorney responded by saying they have been talking about these issues with people in other counties.
These measures are “minimal,” Maintenance Director Brian Silence said, adding that other counties are doing the same thing.
The design of the county attorney’s office and the courtroom area “created a very dangerous situation,” said Sheriff Mark Falk. “You have no idea who’s going into that office.” These rooms are in the original part of the courthouse that was constructed 100 years ago.
Commissioner Hakes made a motion to accept a $29,400 bid, the lesser of two bids, and to pay for the work out of the county’s building fund. It is “a small price to pay,” she said, adding that it is important for employees to feel safe in their workplace.
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