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The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners is considering changes to security measures in the Freeborn County courthouse.

Interim County Administrator Ryan Rasmusson said County Attorney David Walker, Sheriff Ryan Shea and the judges seated in Freeborn County met last month to discuss the security checkpoint in the courthouse.

Rasmusson said back in 2021, the judges issued an order that everyone needed to be screened who entered the courthouse with only a few exceptions.

Since then, the county had set up a security checkpoint in the lobby of the Law Enforcement Center. All of the other doors to the courthouse are closed, and everyone is required to enter through the Law Enforcement Center entrance. Once into the building, the public walks into the lobby of the LEC, where at least one person checks people in, and then people are required to walk through a metal detector. Employees often simply use a key fob to enter through a second set of doors and bypass the security.

Rasmusson said the judges indicated recently they would be willing to allow security checks just for people on the entire second floor, which includes not only people going to the courtrooms but also members of the public discussing cases with court administration and people stopping in to the county attorney’s office or the probation office.

He said it they were to have security only on the second floor, however, they would have to have two security checks — one near the courtrooms at the top of the stairs that would monitor the stairs and the main elevators in between the courtrooms and another on the other end of the building where there is an elevator people can ride to the second floor for probation checks and visits with the county attorney.

Shea said the judges weren’t necessarily worried about the courtrooms because they have measures to handle disorderly people, including issuing a contempt of court, and there are also deputies present. They were more concerned about the court administrators, probation, law library and attorneys.

To have two security checkpoints would require hiring an additional security officer, which equates to about $100,000 with wages and benefits, he said. There would also need to be some network drops for cameras at the top of the stairs.

Rasmusson said another option they discussed is moving the current checkpoint out of the Law Enforcement Center lobby into the main hallway. The Law Enforcement Center lobby would be open to employees only, who would have to use their security badges to get in.

With this option, there is also the possibility of having an employee entrance to the west side of the building, in which employees could use their badges to enter and bypass the security entrance.

A third option would be to leave the security as it is.

Shea said there are two main issues with the way the security system is now. He said many in the public see that employees and the public are treated differently as employees are not having to go through security; plus, there are parking concerns with everyone parking on the one side of the building because the other doors to the building are no longer open.

Rasmusson and Shea said the second option is the most feasible and cost-effective and would move the law enforcement check-in table to where there is currently a glass window separating the hallway and the Law Enforcement Center. The metal detector would be in a portion of the hallway. The employees could enter through the separate door, or if they choose to still enter through the Law Enforcement entrance, they would have to walk through the screening.

District 1 Commissioner Brad Edwin said security is one piece of the issue and the other is that the public presently has parking concerns and then has to walk a long distance to get to places in the courthouse such as the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office because all of the other entrances are not open. He questioned whether employees would park west of the courthouse and come in through the separate entrance.

Shea said unfortunately when the new courthouse was built, security wasn’t a thought with multiple entrances and stairwells, and he understands the judges’ desire for the security on the second floor.

Second District Commissioner Dawn Kaasa said she wants employees to feel safe and for the county to be more efficient and noted that adding an employee entrance on the west side of the building could alleviate parking issues.

Finance Manager Pat Paquin noted that Steele, Mower and Dodge counties all have employee entrances.

Shea said the issue is one he talked about with the previous administrator and emphasized how nice it would be to move the checkpoint out of the Law Enforcement Center lobby.

No decisions were made during the workshop.