Those who enter the Taylor County Courthouse when District and Circuit Court is in session will soon have to pass through a metal detector. New security cameras and a panic door will also soon be installed. Magistrates approved the increased security measures at their regular meeting on Tuesday.
The Courthouse Building and Grounds Committee, made up of Magistrates James Cochran and James Jones and County Clerk Mark Carney, presented a proposal to add an aluminum storefront entry door with a panic device, eight indoor cameras, one outdoor camera, a colored monitor, Internet DVR and a walk-through metal detector.
The proposal also calls for circuitry to allow the existing elevator to reach the first floor and the addition of two part-time workers for District and Circuit Court sessions.
The total cost of the additions, Jones said, would be $35,000.
The reason for the request, Jones said, goes back to the shooting of a judge and other law enforcement officers during a court session earlier this year in Georgia.
Jones said the security measures were also requested because of the realization that the County has the responsibility to protect judges, attorneys, law enforcement officers and residents during court sessions.
"We have been fortunate that no one has been hurt in Taylor County - but the circumstances exist for the same events to happen here," the proposal states.
Money for the additional equipment and personnel will be taken from the Court's maintenance account. If there is a need for more, the proposal states, the Court may have to amend the budget closer to the end of the fiscal year.
The proposal also asks that a courthouse security account be included in the Court's 2006 budget.
The new security equipment, the proposal states, will only be needed until a new judicial center is built. That center, Jones said, will include sufficient security equipment provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Taylor County Sheriff John Shipp said concern about activities at the courthouse has increased.
"Anything can happen," he said.
Shipp said it is common for the courthouse to be full on days that District and Circuit Court are in session. Law enforcement officers have chased people and even apprehended some in the courtroom, Shipp said.
The new security measures will help courthouse employees feel more safe, Shipp said, as well as the general public.
"We hope nothing ever happens."
County Clerk Mark Carney asked Taylor County Judge/Executive Paul Patton if the AOC would pay for any of the cost of the new equipment. Patton said the only way the AOC would pay a portion of the cost would be if the equipment is used at all times. That, Patton said, would be quite expensive.
The new court workers, Shipp said, will work less than 100 hours a month and will not receive benefits. Four or five officers will be hired, Shipp said, to ensure that someone would be available whenever court is in session. Their salaries, Shipp said, would vary between $8 and $10 an hour.
On Friday, Shipp said the equipment has already been ordered and will be installed as soon as it arrives.
