Courthouse security has come into focus during the coronavirus outbreak but the issue has been lingering in Oneida county for sometime. Many public buildings are using what's termed a 'single point of entry' at the courthouse so visitors can be screened, either for health or security reasons.
According to a study, the cost to build a single entry point would be in the $180,000 range. The Oneida County Administration committee recently addressed the issue. Supervisor Billy Fried sits on that committee and the Facilities committee. He told the Administration committee that they want to move forward with the project...
"Right now the facilities committee has a configuration for a single point of entry that does not include hardware and staffing, so that is something that needs to be discussed..."
Assistant State Public Defender Mary Roth Burns asked the Administration committee to move the single point of entry process forward. She says at a gathering of defense attorneys, they heard the average number of courthouse shootings is around 115....
"I think security is a huge concern and should be..."
Roth Burns asked whether the federal money coming forward to battle COVID could be used to help fund the single entry point.
The Administration committee recommended the issue be moved to the Capital Projects committee to consider.
