Security screening ahead?

County to consider metal detectors, armed guard at courthouse entrance

Bag searches, an armed guard and a metal detector could be in the future for visitors to the Taylor County Courthouse.

At a special meeting on September 12, members of the Taylor County Executive and Law Enforcement Committee referred the request for heightened security measures to the full county board.

“I think we should do other measures,” said committee member Scott Mildbrand. He said he supported doing things to make the courthouse more secure, and that while he would support sending the proposal to the full county board, he said it was his intention to vote no on having a guard and metal detector.

He suggested there could be other options such as the ID-card panic buttons that staff at the recent school shooting in Georgia had. These devices are credited with helping reduce the casualties in the incident.

Chief Deputy Corey Dassow said he looked into those devices and said the cost would be about $44,000 for 200 of them to cover all staff in the county.

“It is a little more pricey than what I though tit would be,” he said.

By comparison, the cost of a metal detector would be about $30,000 for the equipment, which could come out of the bond forfeiture in the court budget. On top of that there would be the cost of hiring an additional sheriff’s deputy at an annual cost of about $76,000 with wages and benefits.

The county could reduce the annual cost by going with a private security

See COURTHOUSE on page 3 agency, but sheriff Larry Woebbeking favored having them be a deputy since it would allow them to be certified to be armed. “If they are unarmed out there, it defeats the purpose,” Woebbeking said.

It was noted that a lot of places that have similar situations hire retired law enforcement personnel as the courthouse security officers. Dassow noted the county already had difficulty in finding road officers and jail positions and said it could work once they find the right candidates. “That is a pretty specific niche,” he said.

Dassow explained that the proposal came from the county’s security committee and that the judge was “pretty passionate” about it. He said he was tasked with putting together prices and what it would look like.

County clerk Andria Farrand said that while there has been nothing here there have been some incidents in other counties that have brought it forward.

Committee member Chuck Zenner said he could see the concern and the desire to have one, but he noted that is was not a “one and done” but would rather be an ongoing cost to the county. “Our budgets are tight,” he noted, and while there is no amount of money that will replace a life, he said he has a hard time supporting this.

“I think freedom and safety are always a balance. To get more safety you have to give up a little of your freedom,” Dassow said.

Farrand said the county does active shooter drills each year. “I have never lived in an active shooter training,” she said, noting her office is the first one people see as they come in the building. “We have a wide variety of people come into the courthouse and some are just not happy,” Farrand said.

“I know it is a lot of money, but how much is a life worth?” Farrand asked.

Committee member Lori Floyd noted that for someone committed to getting into the building a metal detector won’t be much of a deterrent. “They will shoot the guy right in front and walk through,” she said.

Woebbeking said the decision ultimately goes with the county board and the risk that if something happens would they be comfortable knowing they could have done more.

“We do the best with the resources we have,” Woebbeking said. He said he did not feel it would overly restrict the public and still allow free movement.

Committee members voted to send it to the full county board. A special county board session had been planned for September 20 with this as the primary agenda item, however with concern about a number of board members being absent from the meeting, it was removed from the docket and will be taken up at the October 30 county board session.