Counties rethink security, By LISA KACZKE, Staff Writer

County government officials are rethinking their security procedures after a man interrupted a meeting in Morrison County and held people hostage.
Many courthouses have installed metal detectors that visitors must pass through. But most administration buildings have been left open to encourage public participation.
Jim Mulder, who directs the Association of Minnesota Counties, said many counties have older buildings with multiple doors that would be costly to secure.
He said security has been heightened at court buildings, but not in buildings where county board meetings are held.
Mulder says county officials are thinking about Tuesday’s incident in Morrison County in which the gunman was eventually shot by officers responding to the county boardroom. He says the incident could cause county officials to devise better security strategies to prevent copycat attacks.
Koochiching County Board Chairman Wade Pavleck said he was at a loss for words about the incident in Little Falls. It shows the violability of the democratic system where not all agree on every issue, he said.
In Koochiching County, commissioners have dealt with disgruntled citizens for a long time and had lawsuits brought against them, Pavleck said.
The board has had some “very tense” meetings about issues that involve a lot of emotion, Pavleck said. When people get so frustrated about an issue, they do things they would normally never do, he said.
And violence could happen at any government meeting, he pointed out.
Commissioners have discussed the possibility of violence in the courthouse and have taken steps in past years to increase security, Pavleck said. The county’s court administration is located on the second floor of the building to provide a more secure entrance.
Deputies have also been present in the boardroom during heated issues at county board meetings, Undersheriff Brian Jespersen said.
The close proximity of the Law Enforcement Center to the courtroom and boardroom help, he said.
Locating a sheriff’s deputy or bailiff in the courtroom is determined on a case-by-case basis, Jespersen said.
Koochiching District Court is one of a few or the only court in the state without a full-time bailiff, said Judge Chad LeDuc. He noted that a sheriff’s deputy will be sent to the courtroom if needed, but the problem is that he can’t always predict that need. The latest resolution from the Judicial Council is that courts need a full-time bailiff, he said.
LeDuc is concerned about security not only in the courtroom, but in the courthouse building in general. Security for the building and the courtroom is the responsibility of the county even though court is funded by the state, he said.
LeDuc said he doesn’t know what the solution is and understands that the county is strapped for money. But in a perfect world, he said he would like security for the building overall.
His concern is not just violence in court, but in an overall incidence of harmful events. The county has been “blessed” that violent events haven’t happened here, but it is a “question of when and not if,” LeDuc said.
In Koochiching County, court is in session virtually every day, LeDuc said. The number of cases the judge considers changes daily. Two weeks ago he presided over 500 cases, while on Thursday he had 13. It would be difficult for anyone to expect the Sheriff’s Office to fund a full-time bailiff given the changes in the number of cases, he said.
LeDuc said he would like to see some of the public doors locked and access allowed only through the main entrance, which could feature a metal detector.
According to Pavleck, the overriding issue is the county balancing the need for security in the courthouse with public access. County officials don’t want to shut down the public’s ability to freely enter the courthouse, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.