Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Lauderdale Courthouse Security?


From a reader:


I read with interest the article about the security screening in Colbert county courthouse. The screening in Lauderdale county is a joke. Jurors serving get a stick on name tag and once they have it they are not screened again. The back door is easily opened and I have seen employees open that door for coworkers to come in. Anyone can open the door and let someone in the building. Also you can check your tax record, go to Probate judge without going through security. You can register to vote without going through security. 

I am not sure who devised the Security system, as it was done during the tenure of Dewey Mitchell and the previous Sheriff, but to secure the building it must be secure on the outside of the building and everyone has to be checked. Workplace violence, by definition is caused by an employee in most situations. Attorneys also have been known to be a security risk, so no one should be exempt. Government buildings are no more at risk than any other high traffic building. I have not been to Colbert county since the installation of security measures, but I assure you if some are exempt then there are flaws in their plan.

*****

After reading the above, the security at the Florence-Lauderdale Government Building also comes to mind. We've always assumed the main purpose of the security at the Lauderdale Courthouse, as well as the older system in Colbert, was primarily to protect judges. Do other county employees deserve similar protection? Or are they the ones we should expect to go postal? 

*****

Considering the security in both Lauderdale and Colbert has brought to mind a minor question...or point...that we have always found baffling. We often speak of the lack of autonomy in county government in this state, yet each county is often so different.

Lauderdale County, population approximately 93K, four commissioners.

Colbert County, population approximately 54.5K, six commissioners

At a glance, Colbert would look better served, yet there seems to be more squabbles. Or does Lauderdale better manage to hide its internal disputes?




1 comment:

  1. What is up with all this newfound "concern" with security in local courthouses? Knowing how this blog operates, do you have a new "friend" in the security business? I hope the Shoals never gets as paranoid as Huntsville and scream the sky is falling for everything from thunderstorms to fake 911 calls. Is it just part of the right wing NRA mentality to want to fantasize about a gun shootout? Most of the time this blog and it's "agenda" is extremely transparent but in this case it is truly confusing.

    ReplyDelete