« Law - "Tax dollars to fund study on restricting public data " | Main | Ind. Decisions - Court of Appeals hears challenge to bidding statute »
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Ind. Courts - Fountain County officials increasing courthouse security
The Crawfordsville Journal Review reports, in a story by Bill Dotson:
COVINGTON — Fountain County officials are continuing to explore ways to increase security at the county courthouse in Covington.Commissioner Janet Shoaf said Wednesday that she had reviewed a proposal for courthouse security from Circuit Court Judge Susan Orr Henderson.
Shoaf said she has asked Sheriff Robert Bass to add another deputy to his department's next budget proposal, at jailer's pay. That deputy would be designated to provide security at the courthouse five days a week, she said, from half an hour before the building opens until half an hour after it closes.
The Fountain County Courthouse is open to the public 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Shoaf also discussed the idea of having some sort of alarm signal at a security station in the courthouse that could alert the officer of a problem somewhere in the building.
County Attorney Richard Holmes countered that some sort of risk assessment may be warranted before making any firm decisions on that aspect of courthouse security.
If the person causing a problem in the courthouse would happen to have a confederate in the lobby, for example, it might be best to avoid alerting that accomplice with an audible alarm, he said.
To date, Fountain County has experienced no major crisis due to a lack of courthouse security. Nonetheless, the issue has been raised more often lately in connection with the ongoing dispute over building a new county jail near Veedersburg rather than in Covington.
The current jail is only a block away from the courthouse.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 6, 2006 03:41 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts