The St. Clair County Commission is moving forward with plans to tighten courthouse security, even though members say security issues need to be fully discussed with all parties involved. "A lot of people have a lot of discussing to do on this, including the judges and district attorneys," commission chairman Stan Batemon said during a work session Thursday. "Everybody has to work on this together."
Other commissioners agreed.
Commissioners Jeff Brown and Mike Bowling said everyone involved with the court system needs to meet and have open discussions about courthouse security with members of the commission.
"We need to secure the courts, but not the business areas of the courthouse," Bowling said. "We need to sit down with everyone involved and fully discus courthouse security."
St. Clair County Sheriff Terry Surles said deputies took knives off of three people this week at the courthouse.
"It should be obvious to people what they can and cannot have in the courthouse," Surles said, adding that courthouse security is long overdue. "I’ve said for five years that it’s going to have to be done."
Courthouse security came to the forefront in St. Clair County after last week’s courthouse shooting in Atlanta, where three people were killed, including a judge, deputy and court reporter.
Commissioner Paul Manning said the time has come for the St. Clair County Commission and the court system to eliminate liabilities of the future and to provide a safe place for those who use the courts in St. Clair County.
"It’s time people know they can’t carry their guns or knives into court," Manning said at Thursday’s commission work session.
Although everyone agrees there is a need for courthouse security, not everyone agrees on the way that should be done.
Batemon suggested that deputies, municipal police officers and troopers who are in the courtroom waiting to testify in cases be assigned to "designated posts" until they are needed in court.
He said the "security coordinator" appointed by the presiding judge could coordinate where lawmen would be posted until they are needed in court.
Batemon also said those security employees manning the metal detectors should only carry TASERs and should not holster a gun.
"I’m real nervous about anyone shooting in a marble foyer," said Batemon, who is a retired fish and game officer. "The last place I would take my gun out is in a foyer of the courthouse."
He said a radio and TASER would be more effective, and there would be fewer chances of innocent bystanders being accidentally shot in an incident at the courthouse.
Surles said it would not be practical or effective to use deputies who are waiting to testify in court as temporary courthouse security guards.
"If they are on standby by the court, they need to be out working the streets until they are needed in court," Surles said.
He said if a deputy takes over someone’s security post, the deputy doesn’t know who’s been in or out.
"Courthouse security is serious business," Surles added.
What happens when there are only a handful of cases left, who will man security posts then, he asked.
Surles also said he believes people protecting the courthouse should be armed with guns.
"I know I want my people armed," he said.
Batemon said Thursday he would move forward with hiring additional part-time security guards to help man metal detection stations at the courthouses. The county already has one part-time courthouse security officer on the payroll.
Batemon said the County Commission budgeted $18,200 this year for one additional part-time courthouse security guard.
He said the commission may have to hire more courthouse security officers in the future.
Batemon said the county will order another metal detector and get prices on additional security cameras, as well as the cost involved in moving the courthouse security system monitoring station from the county jail to central dispatch.
Batemon said this is the first step in adding security to the courthouses in Pell City and Ashville.
"We will never be through providing security to courthouses," Batemon said. "We have to be pro-active. … Right now our objective is protecting the court, court personnel and the people who have to use the court system."
Surles said currently at least one deputy is assigned to every judge for potential problems when court is in session.
Surles stressed that the Sheriff’s Department has limited manpower. He said he is in favor of more security at courthouses, but not with Sheriff Department personnel.
"Anything right now will be an improvement," Surles added.
