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Workers at court worry about lax security Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Bob Kleker, court operations supervisor in charge of court security, demonstrates the use of the courthouse's metal detectors. The portable device is used during some trials at the Jackson County Justice Building in Medford. The Justice Building has seen seven incidents of trouble since Sept. 11, but the county lacks money to improve protection By DANI DODGE With terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, an increase in disruptions by emotionally fragile people, and a kidnapping at their own elevators, workers at the Jackson County Justice Building are getting the jitters. "The fear has changed the atmosphere of the office," said court clerk Lynne Jones. "America was violated - our biggest security building in America was violated, and if they can get to the Pentagon, they can get to us. "Every police force is on high alert, and yet I don't see any change in our office." A comparison of the Jackson County Justice Building and the federal courthouse, both in Medford, is a stark example of differences in court security. You enter the federal courthouse through ornate French doors, and although there are several, you must go through one and only one - the rest are locked. Once inside, you place your briefcase and purse on an X-ray conveyor belt that is constantly screened. You must walk through a metal detector that picks up even the smallest bit of metal, including the tiny bit of steel in a high-heeled pump. Then you must walk past two armed U.S. marshals who politely inquire about what you are doing in the building. Video surveillance follows your movements to make sure you are telling the truth. A hushed austerity permeates the carpeted halls. A few blocks away at the Justice Building, there are seven ways to enter and exit the building on the ground floor. There are no metal detectors or X-ray machines at any of those entrances. Hundreds of people wander in and out - no questions asked. People work at open windows or in tiny offices, talking with a huge spectrum of humanity, including parolees, suspects, people paying speeding tickets, people seeking restraining orders, people fighting restraining orders and people wanting custody of their children. Bailiffs don't carry weapons. Hand-held metal detectors are sometimes used, and a metal detector on wheels is sometimes rolled in front of courtrooms for high-profile cases or hearings where security concerns have been expressed, but they aren't used routinely. A steady din is punctuated by occasional bursts of emotion and parents screaming at their children. Hidden security cameras record the scene. County and court officials say the security difference comes down to one word: money. "I don't have the funds the feds have," said Bob Kleker, the court operations supervisor in charge of security. "I can't be 'I Dream of Jeannie' and click my fingers and have it how I want it to be." Court workers say they want a single-entrance Justice Building with metal detectors and X-ray machines. And eventually, they will have it, according to trial court administrator Jim Adams. But not until 2003, after parole and probation workers are moved to the old Safeway building and the first floor of the Justice Building is remodeled and expanded. In the meantime, "everything we can do now is being done," Adams said. But the number of reported incidents - events in which court workers become concerned about the actions of others in the building - are up at the Justice Building, and some are hoping for more security sooner. In the last year, 11 incidents were reported - seven of those since Sept. 11. Those incidents include a threat to a judge, a man saying he was going to blow up the building, and a number of cases in which someone just got unruly. "Since the tragic events of Sept. 11, there has been a noticeable increase in the incident reports here," Adams said. "I can only attribute that to individuals who were already mentally fragile, something that tends to be exacerbated by events." Kleker said he also thinks people who work on the courts are more likely to report incidents. But exacerbating workers' concerns was a kidnapping that occurred Sept. 28, right on the first floor of the Justice Building. A 31-year-old man approached an older gentleman waiting for the elevator and grabbed the man's briefcase and began rifling through it until he found a tape recorder. The 31-year-old told the older gentleman, "You'll have to come with me," and took him outside and across the street to the old County Courthouse. Then the 31-year-old ran away with the briefcase. He was caught by Medford police and charged with a variety of crimes, including second-degree kidnapping. "It's just been too much," said Kathy Trentman, a court clerk. "They should just have one entrance and have metal detectors there and someone to look through purses. "That seems like a minimum - a very minimum thing to do." A number of other county court buildings in the state have the metal detectors and X-ray equipment. Although that kind of equipment might not prevent a terrorist attack, it could keep a gun or other weapon from getting into the Justice Building. "This building doesn't compare at all with the rest of the state," said Jana Flora, a court clerk. "I've been to Roseburg and Bend, and in Roseburg, I had to go through security even though I'm a court worker. Bend is the same way; they look through your purse. "It's harder than getting through the airports." Security varies widely at county courthouses in Oregon. That's because since 1993, money for security comes from fees levied in every conviction. The more convictions, the more money. Scott Crampton, a director in the state court administrators office, said he knows of at least seven county courthouses with perimeter security, meaning they have one entrance complete with metal detection and X-ray machines. "In general, the larger the court, the more money you get," Crampton said. "It's been a problem for the smaller courts." He said it would take action by the Legislature to put more money into courthouse security funding or change how the money is allocated. Jackson County has $800,000 in its court security fund right now. But Adams said that money needs to be saved for the remodel. In addition to making the courthouse more secure by narrowing the entrances to one, the remodel will make room for an eighth judge and move most of the court's business to the first floor. The court security committee has agreed to pony up $600,000 for the remodel, including buying the X-ray machine and permanent metal detector, while the county will pay the rest - $1.1 million to $1.4 million. Deputy County Administrator Dave Kanner said the county's share of the remodel will come from a rainy-day fund and next year's general fund. Adams said the leftover $200,000 in the court security fund needs to be saved for ongoing costs after the remodel, such as repairing machines and helping pay for extra security staffing that will be required. Adams and Kleker said it isn't feasible to leave just one door open at the Justice Building and to put the portable metal detector at that entrance. It wouldn't work because there are numerous fire exits where people with weapons could be let in to avoid the metal detector. Another problem is that the entrance nearest the handicap access ramp is the narrowest doorway, and an X-ray machine and metal detector wouldn't fit there. There's also the problem of paying for ongoing armed security, something that can't be done now without draining the fund. "If we start hiring people to man metal detectors, that would cost a lot of money and it would be ongoing money that would prevent us then from stockpiling money for major security renovations," said Judge Ray White, who is the head of the court security committee. "We understand that there is some risk." White knows firsthand about security issues in the courthouse. On April 2, 1998, White foiled an escape attempt by two robbery suspects when he jumped one of the men who was holding a court clerk hostage and wrestled him to the ground. White noted there are other factors to consider in beefing up security, including the public's ease in using the courthouse. "We want to encourage people and make them feel welcome in the courts," White said. "And if you put up a lot of barriers, it has a chilling effect." Court clerks say they hear visitors asking each other, "Where's the security?" Jones and others worry that the next so-called court incident could include a gun and death. "Video cameras won't stop someone from shooting you," she said. "I think we need more security now. "If the country would have been a little more aware of safety, we would still have the Twin Towers." White said security is always subject to re-evaluation. And he noted there are some security measures that aren't disclosed to the public. "And we were thinking about putting up the metal detector randomly, or just having it at the elevator, so if you wanted to go upstairs you would have to go through it," White said. And even after the remodel in 2003, there still will be vulnerability, White admits. "The way I look at it is, if someone is going to do something, they will do it," White said. "For years, we've just been keeping our fingers crossed." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.