Security at the Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus could be upgraded under a plan the Bartholomew County Council will consider next month.
The Republic file photo
While nonbinding, a consensus was unanimously given by the Bartholomew County Council to consider increasing security personnel at the county courthouse, as well as corrections staff at the county jail.
In addition, the seven-member council also agreed to consider giving both groups an annual base salary of $50,000, with additional pay provided for possessing certain skills and certifications. This would likely amount to roughly an 8-10% salary increase, according to an estimate from council member and former sheriff Mark Gorbett.
The proposal calls for adding two more people to the courthouse security force and three to the community corrections staff, Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane said.
For the courthouse, that would bring the number of security personnel to six. One armed security guard would be placed in each of the three major courtrooms, while two guards would remain at the entrance to the building.
The sixth person would be a supervisor who makes out schedules, checks in daily with the courts to coordinate schedules, patrols the courthouse halls when time allows, and fills in vacancies when necessary, Lane said. That person would either answer to the department’s road commander or chief deputy sheriff.
Several financial variables were given during the discussion, with different salaries based on rank, skill sets and other factors. Some retired law enforcement officials are also being considered for courthouse security.
More exact financial figures are expected to be presented to the seven-member council when they meet on Monday, July 10.
One part of Lane’s plan calls for courthouse security to become a separate entity apart from the sheriff’s office and jail, he said. While the sheriff will be responsible for both hiring and firing courthouse security personnel, the judges would have oversight over those employees, Lane said.
At this time, the sheriff is considering appointing a lieutenant as courthouse security supervisor largely because a person of that rank is exempt with flexible hours. In contrast, sergeants are required to be paid overtime, the sheriff said.
Besides normal weekday hours, security is also required at the courthouse when jury deliberations go late into the night or during elections, Lane said.
Courthouse security personnel will be urged to take their vacations whenever the judge who presides over their courtroom will be gone, the sheriff said.
But if a courthouse security person is absent, Lane says he doesn’t have personnel to pull away from the jail or law enforcement division. All three of the county’s major judges — Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin and Superior Court judges Jon Rohde and James Worton — said they have no objection if courthouse security isn’t fully staffed for short periods of time.
While the council says they are willing to consider the staff and wage increases, their informal consensus does not obligate them to vote in favor of any proposal. A similar effort was voted down by the council last year, Gorbett said.
However, all three judges asked that the additional security be reconsidered during a June 5 work session. The judges cited security incidents that have caused disruptions at the courthouse as well as threats directed at judges and court staff, one of which led to an hours-long courthouse lockdown earlier this year.
