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September 4, 2008

Courthouse security upgraded

New alarm system is last of security increases

Daniel McDonald

Following the implementation of security measures to enhance the safety of courthouse workers, Baldwin County turned its efforts to ensuring the perpetuity of county records.

The implementation of a new alarm and keyless entry system will be the final security measure put in place following March 2005 Fulton County Courthouse shootings that highlighted courthouse security needs statewide.

Baldwin County Court Services Supervisor Lt. Scott Deason expects the Baldwin County Courthouse’s final security upgrade to be completed next week.

But this final security addition will focus more on ensuring the safety of the records and documents kept inside the courthouse, than the people who make county government run.

Probate Court Judge Todd Blackwell said his office oversees all original county estate, marriage and vital records dating back to the early 1800s. He said although copies of the records are recorded on microfilm and sent to an archive, there is nothing that compares to having access to the original documentation.

“You cannot replace the original records of our ancestors,” Blackwell said. “There is no comparison between accessing copies and being able to go back to the original document.”

The new alarm system will allow the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office’s Court Services Division to monitor who is accessing the courthouse when the building is not open to the public and sheriff’s deputies are not on duty.

“County Manager Joan Minton and Sheriff Bill Massee saw the implementation of this kind of alarm system as an architectural oversight when the courthouse was constructed,” Deason said. “This will help us better protect the integrity of the building as well as the county archives, deeds and any papers that would be held in the clerk’s office.”

With the new security system, all department heads and other county employees with after-hours courthouse privileges will be provided a proxy card containing a microchip to identify the employee and their comings and goings when the building is not open to the public. The system will allow Deason and other court services personnel to monitor the system remotely via computer.

Deason said the system will be linked to the courthouse’s video monitoring system so that court services personnel can access video footage in real time.

“The system will allow us to view the cameras remotely in real time so that we can see any breech in courthouse security,” he said. “This provides us with a better way of monitoring the ingress and egress of the building.”

If a security breech is detected, the system has the ability to alert up to 200 different sources via an electronic page.

“The system will alert everyone who needs to know,” Deason said. “All staff, the sheriff, shift supervisors, whoever needs to know to get the proper people down here.”

The system will also be vital in knowing who is in the building in case of an after hours emergency such as a fire. Emergency personnel will know which offices are likely to be occupied, or if the building has been cleared.

The $19,000 alarm system is the final step in a three-year process of shoring up courthouse security.

“When all the other state requirements came down, the sheriff and county officials decided that this was a good time to implement this measure,” Deason said.

Since March 2005, court services has increased from three uniformed personnel to 10, added a screening station at the front entrance, modified the entrances and exits to the building, added a metal detector and X-ray machine.

Although the security increases came down from the General Assembly in Atlanta as an unfunded mandate, Deason said the new security measures allow his division to react to any situation as effectively as possible.

“Anything can happen,” Deason said. “But regardless of what may come, we know that we will be able to address it.”

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