Student's Opinions on Security
By Joseph Sergio
Lubbock County Court and courts around the country are stepping up their security, but some Texas Tech University students have differing opinions on the subject.
Shannon Bracket, a junior psychology major from Fort Worth, said she is looking forward to the changes at the courthouse. Bracket said she has only been in the courthouse one time, but when she went in, the first thing that she noticed was that there was not really any type of security. She said she did see a security guard, but that was it.
“I was really surprised by the lack of security,” Bracket said, “I expected to have to go through the same type of obstacle course that they have set up at the airport.”
Bracket said she was relieved when she heard about the courthouse security bill that was passed. She said she knows that there are not a lot of hardcore criminals that go in and out of the courthouse, but it is more of a sense of security for her than anything else. She said it makes her feel better about visiting the courthouse and also, she is glad because the people that work there are going to be more safe.
Jonathan Sanchez, a senior industrial engineering major from Fort Worth, said he does not really care about the bill. Sanchez, unlike Bracket, said he has never really put any thought into the security of the courthouse. He said he has visited the courthouse a few times for various reasons, but never felt like he was in any type of danger while he was there.
“It’s not like people are shooting and stabbing each other in there,” Sanchez said. “I don’t really see the big reason for upping security…especially in Lubbock.”
Sanchez said that he could understand why President Bush would pass this law though. He said that he has been to the courthouse that his mom works at in Fort Worth and he is happy for her that it will be better secured. As for locally, Sanchez said he does not think the courthouse or the city will benefit from higher security, and that it is just another thing that the community will have to pay for.
Cody Crawford, a senior history major from Tyler, said he thinks that the bill has the right thought behind it, but he does not think that it will have that big of an affect on the security. Crawford said that he has been to the courthouse before and Lubbock does not seem to have dangerous criminals going through its doors. He said he does not know everyone that goes in and out of the courthouse, but the times that he has been in there, there have only been one or two trials going on, and they were for minor misdemeanors.
“The day Lubbock has a serial killer in its courthouse is the day I eat my words and praise this bill,” Crawford said with a laugh. “I just don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
Crawford said another reason for his nonchalant attitude towards this bill is that he will be graduating in May and wont be in Lubbock in October, when the first changes may take place. Crawford said he is sure that he will appreciate this bill in the future though, when he has a family that he is trying to protect. Whether or not he is in a city like Lubbock, or anywhere else, he said he would be happy for anything that keeps him and his family safe.