Lubbock County Stepping Up Security
By Kristen Thomas
Corporal Beverly Morton is one of 19 peace officers that guard the Lubbock County Courthouse everyday. Morton said that the courthouse plans to expand the number of on-duty peace officers at the courthouse.
"We are replacing the bailiffs with peace officers. That means that they will be able to carry weapons inside the courtrooms," Morton said.
She said current courthouse security is monitored by cameras and keyless entry cards. Each county employee has a keyless entry card and must swipe it to get into a designated area. Every time a card has been swiped, a record is entered into a computer and then recorded by a county employee.
Daily, inmates from the Lubbock County jail are transported to the courthouse through underground tunnels. The tunnels are observed by security cameras which are constantly watched by an employee in the monitor room. The inmates are also transported in a private elevator that is not available for the public.
"There is a three-to-one officer to inmate ratio," Morton said. "The three inmates are belly shackled together and high risk inmates have ankle shackles."
John Hansen is in charge of the monitor room at the county courthouse. He said that there are more than 75 cameras positioned around the courthouse.
"At one point, there were 78 cameras around," Hansen said. "They are positioning to get 80 more cameras to put around the perimeter and inside the courthouse."
Hansen described himself as the dispatcher for the courthouse control center. He is responsible for tracking inmates as they come and go and he observes activity as it occurs.