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Council approves $7,800 courthouse bench modification after court security concerns
Summary
Berkeley County Council approved the lowest bid to modify courtroom benches to give court reporters and staff an emergency exit, citing violent courtroom incidents and security concerns; council and staff noted discrepancies among proposals and funding-source confusion.
Berkeley County Council voted to proceed with a $7,800 contract to modify benches in county courtrooms so court reporters and other courtroom staff have a direct exit behind the bench, council members said during the Committee on Justice and Public Safety meeting.
Council members and county staff said the change responds to concerns that personnel have limited escape routes if a defendant becomes violent. "Defendants are becoming more violent," a staff presenter said, citing recent incidents in the region and the risk to court personnel.
County staff described the planned work as a reconfiguration of the existing bench: moving and cutting portions of the bench to allow a path behind the bench rather than building new doors…
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