Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Courthouse Security topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission reopens debate over courthouse screening after residents and clerk voice opposing views
Summary
Retired Probate Judge Wallace White Jr. and the county circuit clerk debated courthouse screening practices at the Saint Clair County Commission meeting; White argued screening for only some visitors is inconsistent while the clerk cited real incidents where security prevented weapons reaching clerk windows and courtrooms.
Retired Probate Judge Wallace White Jr. argued that current courthouse screening practices feel inconsistent and unfair, saying "If we're gonna search 1 person, we need to search everybody." He described being surprised by people allowed to walk through without screening and expressed concern that the policy has become an affront to citizens' dignity.
The circuit clerk (speaker 6) pushed back with examples of security interventions she said prevented harm: "We did not have any of our judges shot or stabbings or anything that, and I attribute that to the fact that we do have security." She described deputies finding knives, guns and even a hatchet at public windows and said the shared public spaces for clerks' windows and tag/driver-license services create real risks that screening helps mitigate. Commissioners acknowledged both views, noted a directive from the state chief justice on court security, and agreed to keep the issue under ongoing review to balance safety, cost and public access.
Why it matters: the debate touches on the county's legal responsibility to provide court security, everyday access by citizens for tax and licensing services, and civil-liberty concerns about feeling singled out during screening. The commission asked staff and elected officers to continue evaluating approaches that minimize intrusion while preserving safety.
