Beef Up Security at Santa Ana Court, Report Says : Violence: Grand jury cites increasing crime at the Civic Center in urging county to spend $485,000 on equipment alone. But Supervisor Riley isn’t convinced.
SANTA ANA — The Orange County Grand Jury called on the Board of Supervisors Wednesday to pay for airport-style security devices at the courthouse here, citing increased crime in the Civic Center area and shootings at other Southern California courts.
Each day, an estimated 7,200 people enter the county court building in Santa Ana, which houses 11 floors of courtrooms and allows “virtually unrestricted access,†the grand jury report said.
“Courtrooms are known for their somber decorum, but when people have life, liberty, love or money at risk, tempers are apt to flare,†members of the grand jury wrote. “Being deep in the sanctum of lawfulness does not stop mobsters, gang members or even angry spouses from threatening violence or carrying it out.â€
The report calls for six airport-style screening X-ray and metal detectors, at a cost of $485,000. According to the report, 19 county marshal’s officers would be needed to operate the new security stations, at a yearly cost of $732,000. The report does not specify whether those officers would be new hires or reassigned from other duties.
Supervisor Thomas F. Riley said the panel’s recommendations were worthy of “a good look†but seemed heavy-handed.
“My initial reaction was, ‘Wait a minute, we better take another look at this before we set something up that looks like a high-security facility,’ †Riley said. “Just the thing itself is difficult for me to accept, let alone the cost.â€
The Board of Supervisors recently approved $350,000 in security enhancements for the courthouse--including security cameras and magnetic door locks. Riley said those measures would be less obtrusive and may be sufficient.
The county marshal’s office applauded Wednesday’s grand jury report. Last month, department officials said they were considering recommendations from state court authorities to install electronic screening devices at the entrances to the Civic Center courthouse and other county courthouses.
“The marshal would like to thank the grand jury for highlighting the needs for additional security within the court facilities,†Capt. Don Spears said.
Spears said Marshal Michael S. Carona only regretted that the grand jury limited the scope of its report to the courthouse in Santa Ana and did not mention the other county courts in Westminster, Newport Beach, Fullerton and Laguna Niguel.
There have been no major security problems in Orange County courts, Spears said, but airport-style screening serves as a deterrent to people who might be carrying weapons.
The screening would complement security measures recently approved by the Board of Supervisors, he said.
Currently, the only county courthouse with X-ray screening and metal detectors is the new juvenile justice center in Orange, where marshals say they routinely seize knives, brass knuckles, pepper spray and other weapons.
Spears said the judges at each court must decide whether they support the more restrictive environment of airport-style screening, and the Board of Supervisors must ultimately decide whether to pay for such measures.
The grand jury report points to a 1992 fatal shooting of two people in a San Bernardino County courtroom, and a 1991 incident where a woman and her 9-year-old daughter were gunned down in a Lake Elsinore court waiting room.
The report also noted that 2,200 crime incidents were reported within two miles of the Santa Ana courthouse in 1993.
“Although there are signs posted in the various entrances indicating that it is a crime to bring a weapon into the facility, if the weapon is not visible to court security personnel, no preventive steps can be taken,†the report said.
The report comes on the heels of heightened Sheriff’s Department patrols launched in March around the Civic Center government complex after county employees complained of increased shake-downs for cash and other harassment by criminals loitering in the area.
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