Surprised

[frawin]

Wilma, you need to include those years of experience as a Mother.
Frank

[L Hendricks]

Wilma,
The story I received from the Sheriff -  a court personnel's life was threatened over the phone - ie "I am going to come down there and blow your head off".  It was a verbal threat over the phone.  This is not a local person - it is someone wanted.  The Sheriff acted on it.  In today's society, there are very few courthouse unsecured.  Is there a "good" way to secure a public building - no.  Could we do nothing - yes!  What is the cost of one life - you tell me.  Metal detectors - another option - crazy person blows the head off the security guard and still into court house. Again - there is no perfect way to secure it.  I am sorry we can't please everyone.  Damned if we do and damned if we don't.  Are we acting re - actively - yes.  Would the taxpayers be happy if we had spent the money before a threat - no - we would have been critized for that too. 

As for the GPS - yes I mentioned we LOOK in to the cost.  I get many complaints of county employees doing nothing - how do you span 700 miles to find out if everyone is working....

[Lodie]

Liz,  I really hope you run for re-election again.  You have done a great job!  Please, don't encourage just anyone to run for your position.  Before any citizen votes for a county commission, we need to ask ourselves, "Does it appear this person can manage his/her own personal life sufficiently?"   If not, are they suitable to manage the Counties affairs?

[Wilma]

Thank you, Liz.  Since I don't do business at any courthouse but my own, I am not familiar with what others are doing.  Even this thing of waiting to be identified and allowed to enter has it's drawbacks.  If I were the perp and found a locked door between me and my target, I would just stand back and blast the door away.  Nothing is going to stop the person determined on entry.  The most that can be hoped for is some warning.  And there is still the problem of the threatened person getting from their vehicle to the courthouse and vice versa.  If someone is really intent on harming someone else, nothing is going to stop him.  They will find a way.  Meanwhile, all of us innocents are being penalized, not specifically to keep our county employees safe, but because of the  irresponsible mentality of the people that believe that the law doesn't apply to them.

[Diane Amberg]

Was anything at all done to make the victim feel any better?

[Wilma]

"We came.  We saw.  We conquered."  I just got back from the courthouse.  No problems.  In fact, I think someone saw us coming.  I didn't have to push a button or wait for anything except the elevator to come down.  As I was about to push the button someone said, " I am bringing the elevator down to you."  And someone did.  Of course she was using the elevator anyway and was on her way out.

I got my driver's license and they guaranteed me a beautiful picture on it.  Visited with Neva, then with Donna.  Such nice people.  For you people outside the county,  Neva is the Register of Deeds and Donna is the County Clerk.

[Janet Harrington]

Actually, one way to solve the problem is to have surveillance cameras that tape 24/7, audio and video.  These come in digital recorders, so that images can be saved on disks.  All one has to do is do some homework.  What is the cost of someone's life?  Priceless.  Is this system going to save that person?  No.  As my mother says, all they have to do is blast their way in.  Where is your law enforcment going to be if that happens?  Are you going to stage a deputy full time in the sheriff's office during courthouse hours to respond if that happens?  I thought not.

Why wasn't anything put into the paper about this system besides Rudy's article?  Why wasn't the cost publicized in the county minutes?  Well, maybe it was, but I don't get to read the paper every week.  I have to work out of town, so I am not home to know this stuff.  I know, Liz, that you are going to say that I am welcome to come and ask at the county clerk's office to find out the cost, but like I said, I work out of town and on the days that I am in town, the courthouse is closed.  Extremely inconvenient for me, but I am just one citizen/customer that pays taxes in Elk County.

One more thing, all this idiot criminal has to do is "piggy-back" his/her way into the courthouse by following an innocent customer through the door.  I hope the sheriff did take care of this problem by investigating and arresting that person and I hope that person is currently sitting in the Elk County Jail, but how would we know that?  We don't get any news in the paper from the sheriff's office or the court.  Go figure.

[sixdogsmom]

I used to work in a test lab where we stressed and screened devices from all over the world. We were also a drop ship facility for several companies. We had a keyless entry system that worked pretty well. That way they had a record of who was in the building at any time. One night when I went to work, there were police everywhere, and they would not let me enter and only told me there had been a robbery. A gang of robbers forced two workers to access them entry at gunpoint. From there, they made it onto the test floor where they pistol whipped the tech, (my position), and tied everyone up with zip strips. They then proceeded to dismantle the test floor, destroying thousands of dollars of equipment and product in a search for processors. They had an idea that they were there. They were correct in that there was a large batch of processors in the building, but they were in the shipping department awaiting departure from drop ship. They missed them; those days processors were quite expensive. The company then installed a double entry system, your keyless card got you in the front door, and then a 24/7 guard operated the second door. There was also a camera installed to the test floor that alternated from one exit and building area to another. The same was at the guards' desk, shipping, and the burn-in area. The tech was also required to wear a panic button. I was pleased that the company was so responsive to the situation, and certainly felt safer as a result.

[Janet Harrington]

The district court used to have a panic button.  It was accessible to any judge who was the sitting judge that day.  It had a button in the district court clerk's office and I thought there was a necklace that the judge could wear in case the judge had to leave the bench in a hurry.  Anyway, even a panic button would not be the entire answer.  The camera security and keyless entry is not the entire answer.  Elk County doesn't have the money to make security 24/7 with guards, etc.  To give a human presence in the courthouse, a deputy or security guard would have to be hired to be there when the courthouse is open.  That would create another position for someone.  One solution would be to close the district court here and make it mandatory to do your district court business in Greenwood County or Butler County.  That way the district courts could have security because Greenwood County has their offices in the courthouse and the jail is just right there.  Butler County already has a system.  I just wish someone knew something about it, so they could report it to  us on the forum.  However; going to Butler County and Greenwood County would sure get people to hollering!

[greatguns]

Liz, thanks for your informative post.  I do appreciate  it.