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Security measures tighten at courthouse
Good security means no exceptions to screening, a judge says.
YOUNGSTOWN — Courthouse security upgrades are necessary in these troubled times, Mahoning County common pleas judges say.
“There have been incidents where people have been injured or killed as a result of violence or incidents both inside and outside courthouses,” said Judge John M. Durkin, presiding judge of the common pleas court.
“We have an obligation to ensure the safety of, not only the public who comes into this building, but also an obligation to ensure the safety and protection of the people who work here,” Judge Durkin said, noting that details of security arrangements will be kept confidential.
“We want to become proactive and take steps now, rather than become reactive and take steps after something has happened,” he added.
Locally, two incidents are most notable, both in the Trumbull County Courthouse.
In November 2006, Trumbull County common pleas judges beefed up courthouse security after three members of a Warren family assaulted a handcuffed defendant they blamed for the homicide deaths of four of their relatives in Columbus while that defendant was in court on charges pertaining to a local homicide.
In the second incident, which occurred at the Trumbull County Courthouse in February 2007, a Youngstown man charged toward a defendant moments after the defendant was acquitted of raping the Youngstown man’s daughter, and deputy sheriffs Tasered the aggressor and brought him under control before he could injure the defendant.
All eight Mahoning County common pleas judges made their first move to upgrade security at their county courthouse when they ordered that all 182 electronic swipe cards used by county employees to enter side and rear courthouse doors be canceled effective today.
That means the employees must enter through the Market Street public entrance, where deputy sheriffs screen everyone for weapons using a metal detector and baggage scanner.
From now on, employees wanting access cards will have to demonstrate their need for such cards to Judge Durkin and the sheriff’s department, and the cards will be issued or denied on a case-by-case basis, Judge Durkin said. There should be little need for such cards, except for those who need night and weekend access to the building, he said.
The large number of passes enabled many people to enter the building unscreened and after hours, observed Judge R. Scott Krichbaum, administrative judge.
“If you go to federal court, everybody goes through one door. Everybody gets screened,” he noted.
“There is a certain amount of inconvenience, but proper security will allow everyone to be at ease,” Judge Krichbaum said.
“There should be no parking around this courthouse at all,” Judge Krichbaum said, advocating adoption by the county of the federal policy that bars on-street parking along federal courthouse perimeters.
The cancellation of employee access cards is “the first of many steps that are going to be reviewed, and possibly taken, as it relates to the security of this building,” Judge Durkin said.
Judge Durkin is the chairman of a newly-formed security committee, which will assess the security needs of the county courthouse. The committee consists of the common pleas judges and other county elected officeholders and representatives of the county sheriff’s department and city police department.
Committee members will examine possible security upgrades to determine what is feasible within the constraints of the century-old courthouse and consistent with preservation of its historic character, Judge Durkin said.
Each court in the state court system, including municipal, county, common pleas and appellate courts, would be required to have such a local security committee under proposed Ohio Supreme Court rules.
“Courthouses need to be updated to provide for the safety of the public and staff,” said Judge Theresa Dellick of Mahoning County Juvenile Court. “Due to the expense, we’re not always going to have state-of-the-art security, but we will do our best with resources,” available to the county, she added.
Judge Dellick sits on the 19-member Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Superintendence, which has been working on rule revisions, including those pertaining to court security.
At its March 14 meeting, the commission approved and submitted a set of proposed security and emergency preparedness rules to the high court, which may request public comment or send the rules back to the commission for further review.
An Ohio Supreme Court security expert visited the Mahoning County Courthouse several years ago and made confidential suggestions to local officials concerning security improvements, Judge Durkin said.
“The security issue is something that we have to deal with because of the times, and, with a minimal amount of intrusion, I want to make sure that we’re secure,” Judge Krichbaum concluded.