Use technology as a safety net

Use technology as a safety net

I read with great dismay, as most did, about the brawl at the Youngstown Municipal Court. In 1971 when I first started my law enforcement career at the Youngstown Police Department, I had the pleasure to train under an officer who had a few years prior been involved in a more serious situation at the court. He was shot and returned fire, and, if my memory serves me right, he killed the woman who was firing the shots.

Someone once said if we ignore history, we are doomed to repeat the past. Surely you should feel safe in a courthouse. We know differently, since there have been many incidents across the country when even judges have been shot and killed in a courthouse. Arraignments and domestic cases are some of the most supercharged emotional situations.

I offer this idea as a remedy, even if there were a larger and newer courthouse. Much change has occurred in our society in the way of technology. We now utilize video arraignments of prisoners to save the cost and danger of transporting prisoners for arraignment. Why not provide video arraignments for public viewing and post it on a local channel. If it is mandatory for the public to be on site, have enough room for a small number of people to attend, which would be much easier to control.

And why not utilize this same cable channel such as Boardman police now use to inform the public of various criminal activity, wanted persons, crime prevention tips, etc.

Video arraignments for public viewing could allow people to view the arraignments in their homes. Some people who can’t make it to the arraignment would be able to view it and not have to face traveling to the courthouse.

I am sure it would be much less costly to maintain this technology than to build a new courthouse, especially since there is no money at the time to build a courthouse. I am not saying there should never be a new courthouse, but it is a stop gap measure that should be investigated now and even considered when building a new courthouse.

John M. Tomaino Sr, Canfield

The writer is a retired law enforcement officer and a security consultant.