The St. Mary Parish Council is getting serious about security.
An ordinance passed by the council May 22 creates a two-member Courthouse Security Commission directed to “collectively oversee the drafting, enforcement, and administration of the Courthouse Security Plan.”
While the ordinance does not itself mandate routine magnetometer or X-ray screening, it makes people other than courthouse employees subject to “a physical search, and/or search utilizing metal detectors/x-ray devices” as they enter the Parish Courthouse.
People who refuse to be searched will be denied entry, the ordinance says.
The ordinance could resolve two dilemmas: the relatively easy access to the courthouse in an age of heightened security and the responsibility for assigning security to Parish Council meetings, both of which have been the subject of council discussions this year.
The commission created by the ordinance will consist of one designee appointed by the parish government and another named by the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office, “in coordination with the St. Mary Parish Government, will promulgate policies and procedures related to courthouse security and screening procedures to enforce ordinances and state laws to provide enhanced security for the courthouse facilities, personnel, and visitors.”
The Sheriff’s Office will provide personnel to provide security under a financial agreement with parish government.
Employees of government offices will have ID cards that allow them access to employee entrances. Everyone else will have to use the main entrance facing Main Street in Franklin. The official courthouse hours will be 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays.
The ordinance doesn’t specifically assign security to Parish Council meetings, which has been a source of controversy.
In his campaign last year, Parish President Sam Jones pointed to the presence of a deputy as a sign of Parish Council dysfunction. Decisions about whether or not a deputy should be present at meetings has also led to harsh words.
The ordinance says that for meetings outside the regular courthouse hours and events such as early voting and election days, “the appropriate St. Mary Parish personnel will be present to provide continued security.”
The ordinance specifically prohibits people from bringing weapons into the courthouse.