Monday, April 05, 1999
Warren seeks better court security
BY SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — Warren County officials plan to use state cash to keep crime out of their courtrooms.
They are tapping into $100,000 available through a program begun about two years ago by the Ohio Supreme Court and the Ohio Judicial Conference to prevent a growing number of fights in courtrooms statewide.
Though Warren County court personnel say there have been no major violent outbreaks in their courts, the money will help buy metal detectors and alarms to prevent such incidents.
“When you're across the counter from someone, you feel very secure (knowing) they don't have a weapon if they get mad about something,” said County Clerk of Courts James Spaeth, whose office is in the common pleas courts building on Justice Drive.
The common pleas courts building has a metal detector at its sole public entrance, as well as alarms at secured entrances.
The money will help buy new equipment for common pleas court. It also will pay for detectors and alarms for juvenile, county and municipal courts, which now have none.
“It's just trying to protect the citizens and prevent prob lems,” said Sgt. George Hunter, supervisor of the court services division for the Warren County Sheriff's Department.
Sgt. Hunter is spearheading the effort to apply for the grants, which includes outlining how the money would be used. The application process could last another month. He expects the courtroom improvements to start during the next year.
The state program included inspections by trained security teams, which reported back to the state judicial conference. The conference then sent Warren County recommendations for changes.
At the common pleas court building in 1998, there were four reported fights, 18 verbal arguments and 22 incidents involving threats of violence. Two people were treated for minor injuries, and eight people were charged with disorderly conduct.
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