County takes no action on security at courthouse

Security at the Flathead County Justice Center won't be beefed up any time soon, in part due to ongoing budget constraints.

The county commissioners were presented with two proposals on Tuesday to provide and staff metal detectors at the entrance to the Justice Center, but took no action.

"I think this is something we need to start talking about and planning for … [but] I don't think we'll be able to look at it in this year's budget," noted Commissioner Gary Hall.

Sheriff Jim Dupont requested the proposals following an Inter Lake story in March in which some court personnel raised concerns about security procedures in the building.

The story ran shortly after three people were shot and killed in an Atlanta courtroom during a prisoner escape.

The bids reviewed on Tuesday were for $104,000 and $190,000, respectively, for a one-year contract. Neither Dupont or the commissioners seemed convinced that the expenditure was warranted.

"We haven't had an incident since I've been around, and I've been here 25 years," Dupont said. "I'm not going to say it could never happen, but the odds are very low."

A roving courtroom security officer is usually on duty, he said, and additional personnel are available for high-profile cases. Flathead County also uses different procedures than Atlanta does for handling prisoners, so he doubted that a similar situation could arise here.

Screening people when they entered the Justice Center wouldn't guarantee that nothing bad ever happened in the building, Dupont said. He also questioned the logic of paying for more security in a single building when the entire county typically only has a handful of deputies on duty at any given time.

However, Justices of the Peace David Ortley and Dale Trigg both noted in March that emotions often run high during court proceedings, and suggested that financial concerns didn't justify ignoring the issue.

"There is no valid reason for not having a secure courtroom," Ortley said at the time.

Commissioner Bob Watne was not at Tuesday's meeting.

Commissioner Joe Brenneman said tempers occasionally flare at the commissioners' hearings as well, and at other county departments.

"Life has risks," he said. "Having a relatively secure Justice Center probably wouldn't prevent problems from arising [there], and it does nothing for the other county buildings."

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com