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Sheriff asks Beaufort County to add three bailiffs after courthouse security assessment
Summary
The sheriff requested three additional armed bailiffs for courthouse security, citing a recent courthouse security assessment and the county’s current reliance on five bailiffs plus overtime and outside personnel for courtroom security and prisoner transports.
The Beaufort County sheriff asked the Board of Commissioners to approve three additional bailiff positions to implement several recommendations from a recent courthouse security assessment.
The sheriff said the courthouse currently has five assigned bailiffs who share responsibilities for courtroom security, prisoner transport and other tasks; when those five are tied up the office uses investigators, drug‑task‑force members, reserve deputies or overtime to staff courtroom security. “Five bailiffs just isn’t enough,” the sheriff said, citing instances of multiple simultaneous courtrooms and extended transports to outside facilities.
The sheriff described gaps in coverage, including an unsecured basement entrance to the magistrate’s office and radio communication issues inside the building. To address the assessment’s recommendations, the office proposed placing one armed bailiff at the basement/magistrate’s entrance, one on the second floor checkpoint and one dedicated to courtroom security. The sheriff said those assignments would reduce the need to pull deputies from investigations and highway work to cover court duties.
The department also reported steps to offset costs, including a change in health‑insurance plans that the sheriff said saved the county about $100,000. The sheriff did not provide an estimated recurring personnel cost or a detailed funding plan during the presentation; commissioners did not take a formal vote.
The request will be considered during the county’s budget deliberations.
