News Item
Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative included in Governor’s supplemental budget proposal
Posted: Tuesday, March 15, 2016
As part of his recently announced supplemental budget recommendations, Governor Mark Dayton has proposed new funding aimed at improving the safety and security of Minnesota’s courthouses. The proposal – named the Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative – is based on a recommendation from the Courthouse Security Workgroup, a statewide coalition of county and justice system partners convened by Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea in 2014.
“Ensuring the safety of our courthouses is essential to preserving access to our justice system,” said Chief Justice Gildea. “Thousands of Minnesotans enter their local courthouse every day to seek justice, protect their rights, access government services, and fulfill their duties as citizens and taxpayers. The Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative will help ensure the safety of these important public facilities, and we appreciate Governor’s Dayton’s support.”
Under the proposal, Minnesota would use $20 million of one-time surplus dollars to establish a grant program that would help individual counties enhance the safety and security of their local courthouses or court facilities. Counties could voluntarily seek funding through the program for a wide array of security needs, such as emergency response training, conducting security assessments, or installing security equipment.
To help oversee the grant application and approval process, the Chief Justice would convene a panel of county and justice system partners, who would utilize nationally-accepted best practices to establish grant criteria and a process for determining grant awards.
According to Blue Earth County Commissioner Will Purvis, who served on the Courthouse Security Workgroup and chairs the Association of Minnesota Counties’ Public Safety Committee, the Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative will improve the security of Minnesota’s courthouses, while also strengthening the partnership between the state and counties.
“Everyone agrees that keeping our courthouses safe and secure is extremely important,” said Commissioner Purvis. “However, many counties struggle to afford needed security improvements relying solely on local property tax revenue, resulting in wide disparities in security infrastructure and staffing from courthouse to courthouse. The Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative will help all counties – small and large, rural and urban – have a greater ability to implement needed security improvements, while ensuring that the state and county share the responsibility of securing these county-owned, jointly-used facilities.”
Chief Justice Gildea noted that the Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative is being proposed in the wake of an increase in the number of incidents of courthouse violence being reported across the country. In 2005, the Center for Judicial and Executive Security counted 19 incidents of violent acts in courthouses across the country. In 2011 – the year the community of Grand Marais was devastated by the tragic shooting in the Cook County courthouse – that same organization counted more than 90 such incidents.
“From the tragedy in Grand Marais, to violent attacks on public defenders inside our courtrooms, to bomb threats and white powder scares at our court facilities, we know Minnesota is not immune to courthouse violence,” said Chief Justice Gildea. “The Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative represents a statewide approach to tackling an important statewide issue.”
Chief Justice Gildea and Commissioner Purvis said that Courthouse Security Workgroup members have already begun meeting with legislative leaders and key committee members to discuss the proposal. The proposal is among the Association of Minnesota Counties’ legislative priorities for 2016.
About the Courthouse Security Workgroup
The Courthouse Security Workgroup was convened in 2014 by Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea. The workgroup included representatives from the Minnesota Judicial Branch, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, the Minnesota Board of Public Defense, and the Minnesota Inter-County Association.
The workgroup met throughout 2014 and 2015 to review the state’s current courthouse security activities and existing infrastructure, and to identify ways to improve courthouse security throughout the state. In addition to developing the Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative proposal, the workgroup also oversaw increased courthouse security training, new courthouse security assessments, and the establishment of improved security policies and procedures.