It's about time
The news that security will be beefed up at the Carbon County Courthouse annex come Feb. 27 is a relief to employees who work there, and it should set the minds of county residents who do business there at ease, too.
Although the final cost is not fully known yet, this will be a costly, but necessary, undertaking. The county has applied and has gotten approval for some grants to help shoulder the cost.The county used some of a Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool loss-prevention grant to build a $3,175 glass enclosure (ballistic wall panel) in the commissioners' office and $5,545 for a new X-ray machine and metal detector for the main courthouse. The county hopes to get help on some of the annex modifications, too.We say that it's about time. We asked why this has not be done much sooner."We live in a region where potential threats weren't taken too seriously," said Commissioner William O'Gurek, but, he added, "with everything that has happened in the country, we probably should have done it years ago."The county commissioners gave the green light to the project, but we want to commend county Sheriff Anthony C. "Tony" Harvilla, who was the catalyst for getting the project moving in earnest.Harvilla was elected in 2015 and took office 13½ months ago. He campaigned tirelessly for improved security during these troubling times. He comes to the job with impressive credentials as the chief federal probation officer for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, so he knows a thing or two about security.Harvilla is responsible for security in the courthouse complex buildings, and he has told the commissioners that the annex is woefully lacking in even the basic security controls. He arranged for an audit of security procedures by a member of the U.S. Marshals Service.According to O'Gurek, the commissioners received a copy of the report, but, to this point, they have chosen not to release it to the public because of security concerns. This makes sense since we don't want the bad guys to have a road map to security gaps, but we would like to see this report eventually.Right now, for example, a person can enter the first floor of the annex without challenge and go just about anywhere on the three floors. There is a security door with two cameras on the third floor entrance, which requires a customer or patron to be buzzed in by a county employee, but even this system has its limitations and is certainly not foolproof.The courthouse annex, in addition to the commissioners' office, houses the tax assessment, Veterans Affairs, treasurer's, controller's recorder of deeds and human resources offices.Once the security measures are put into place, all foot traffic, except employees, will be funneled into one entry location where they will encounter a deputy sheriff who has a search wand such as those used at airports. There also will be a metal detector and an X-ray machine for briefcases and anything else being brought into the building."What we're trying to do is make all of the county buildings secure and safe," Harvilla told the Times News. "Up until this point, there was no security coming into the county annex." Commissioner Tom Gerhard said that all of the annex changes will be done by county maintenance workers.According to American City and County magazine, the nature of the work conducted at government buildings makes them a real target for terrorists, disgruntled taxpayers and anti-government lone wolves. The magazine says the key to maintaining security begins at the point of entry and includes increasing protective measures such as bulletproof windows and surveillance cameras. It also requires the ability to alert people of a crisis through notifications and message alerts.The plan now at the annex is to exempt county employees who have the proper badge and entry code from going through the metal detector and screening process. We believe this proposed policy should be rethought. We certainly don't want to cast aspersions on the dedicated county employees who work in the county complexes, but we know through experience that a disgruntled employee can cause as much, if not more, mayhem than someone coming in off the street.Certainly, this will be a little extra inconvenient for employees, but safety is the major objective and the name of the game, and our officials need to ensure that the appropriate steps are taken for the benefit of all concerned.By Bruce Frassinelli |