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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01191988 - 2.1 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this Order on January 19, 1988 by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors Powers, Fanden, McPeak, Torlakson, Schroder NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: Security in Court Facilities and County Buildings The Board received the attached report dated January 11, 1988 from Phil Batchelor, County Administrator, advising the Board of the actions taken to date relative to a review of security issues in Court facilities and other County buildings. Mr. Batchelor advised that a meeting would be held on Thursday, January 21, 1988 with the Superior Court bench to discuss a security action plan. He noted that steps to improve safety and security throughout other County buildings have been taken and a review is being conducted to determine further measures required. Supervisor Sunne McPeak commented on a previous recommendation relative to the establishment of a "safe room" in the Family Law area of the Courthouse. She noted that she had been contacted by a number of attorneys who practice in the- Family Law Court urging the establishment of such a "safe room" . Ronald Romo, husband of the victim of the December 4, 1987 shooting incident at the Courthouse, appeared and recommended the installation of metal detectors at designated Courthouse entrances. He recommended that all other Courthouse doors be designated as exits only, to be monitored with video cameras. Mr. Romo presented a petition with approximately 148 signatures requesting improved security measures at the Courthouse. Supervisor Tom Powers expressed the concern of the Board in assuring the safety of all County employees as well as visitors to County buildings. He advised that a thorough review would be made of all options available to the Board. Board members being in agreement, IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that the report from the County Administrator is ACCEPTED. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the recommendation relative to a "safe room" in the Family Law area of the Courthouse and the recommendations of Mr. Romo are REFERRED to the County Administrator for consideration. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Certificates of Commendation are PRESENTED to Deputies Cliff Davis and Jeff Dempsey for their actions during the December 4, 1977 incident at the Courthouse. cc: County Administrator Presiding Judge, Superior Court Presiding Judges, Municipal Courts Superior Court Administrators Clerk-Administrators, Municipal Courts Sheriff-Coroner I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of General Services Director an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Risk Management Board of Supervisors on the date shown. Criminal Justice Agency ATTESTED: �'l�R�t�-t—t�—�cL^-/�9 /Age PHIL B TDiAi EL0 7, C er-k of the Board of Supervisors and County Administrator By , Deputy s BOAR® OF SUPERVISORS }} FROM PHIL BATCHELOR COr tra County Administrator DATE*. January 11, 1988 Ca.* SUBJECT: REPORT ON SECURITY ISSUES IN COURT FACILITIES AND OTHER COUNTY BUILDINGS SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Accept Report on security issues in court facilities and other County buildings. 2. Direct County Administrator and affected County agencies to develop and continue implementation measures now under way. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None at this time. However, as specific ideas are developed and implemented, funds would have to .be identified. BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS: . On December 8, 1987, your Board referred .the issue of security in court facilities and other County buildings to the County Administrator. This is a status report on the work done since that time. Basically, we have divided the task into two areas: 1) court facilities, particularly the Superior Court, and 2) other County buildings: 'The Superior Court has formed a. committee of 2 judges and; in cooperation with the Sheriff-Coroner, are actively developing a number of proposals and approaches that should increase courthouse security. COURT AND OTHER COUNTY SECURITY ISSUES An initial review. has been made , of court security measures in conjunction with the Superior Court and Sheriff's Department. The bench has established a security committee of two judges to work with the Sheriff's Department and to further develop appropriate additional security measures. A draft action plan will be presented to the full Superior Court bench next week. (See section below on Actions in. Progress. ) By memorandum of December 30, 1987, I have asked all department heads to make a review of the security needs of their facilities and to report back to this Office on problem areas and their suggested actions for resolving them. The Sheriff-Coroner and Risk Manager are acting as technical advisors to departments in this matter. On January 13, the County Administrator's Office, Sheriff-Coroner and Risk Management met to review security issues at other County buildings with department heads and other management staff. There was a detailed discussion concerning what steps had been taken to improve safety and security and what problems still existed that required remediation. This Office was impressed with the large number of actions that have already been accomplished to improve the safety and security of County personnel, clients and other visitors to County facilities. Some examples of the actions taken by various departments and some of the e isti problems that still need to be addressed are detailed in the following section CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT; RYES SIGNATURE:_)RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD TT4:E _)APPROVE OTHER SIGNATUREISI: A ON OF BOARD .ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE. OF SUPERVISORS i HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES. AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: O PERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Cc: presiding Judge, Superior Court ATTESTED , Presiding Judges, Municipal Courts PHIL BATC R, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Superior Court Administrator SUPERVISORS A OUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Clerk-Administrators, Municipal Court Sheriff-Coroner M382/7D&Tector, General Services. BY PV TY Risk Management CAO-Justice System Programs Report on Security Issues in Court Facilities and Other County Buildings January 11, 1988 Page 2 ACTIONS ALREADY TAKEN ♦ Risk Management - All County Departments have now designated a Safety Coordinator who is the department's primary point of contact in monitoring safety and security issues. - Safety Coordinators have received orientation and training and further training classes are being developed to increase the scope and depth of such training to include crime prevention and security matters. - An emergency action plan addressing security issues has been developed for the County Administration Building and issued to all employees. - Emergency Action Plans are being drafted and will be completed for the areas of highest security concerns by March 31, 1988, with plans for other areas being phased in as completed. - Emergency posters have been sent to all departments for posting. ♦ Sheriff-Coroner - A handbook of security tips is under development for distribution to all County employees. A security checklist for department heads will be completed so that workplace security can be assessed and remedial action taken. The Sheriff's Department has instituted a program of on-site security inspection and monitoring available to departments upon request. ♦ Social Service - A security review has been completed of all buildings and staff has been trained. - Security guards are provided in those areas with identified security concerns. - An identification program for hostile clients which is part of a case file is in place. - A central key registration system is operational. All key losses are investigated and locks re-keyed, if necessary. - A training program for staff on how to deal with hostile clients has proven effective. ♦ Hospital - A team has been trained that is able to respond on an emergency basis to control violent patients. - A review of all public contact areas has been completed, utilizing current crime prevention criteria. ♦ Housing Authority - The El Pueblo housing complex in Pittsburg has hired a private security firm to help control illegal drug activity. - As housing projects are redeveloped and renovated, current crime prevention design measures are included. - Staff offices in North Richmond, West Pittsburg and Pittsburg projects have been remodeled with security in mind. - The County training program on how to deal with difficult people has been extremely useful for Authority staff. Report on Security Issues in Court Facilities and Other County Buildings January 11, 1988 Page 3 ♦ Auditor-Controller Design of public counters and doors has provided for separation of staff from clients. ♦ Veterans Resources Office - An identification program of difficult and potentially abusive clients has been instituted. - An emergency response plan is being drafted. - Office space is being redesigned for better separation of clients and staff. ♦ District Attorney's Office - Self-locking doors and a buzzer system to be used in emergencies have been ordered. ♦ Personnel Department - Employees have been instructed about proper protocols to follow in working after hours and in using team work to provide for safety of staff, particularly when working late. - The Training Division of the Personnel Department offers courses in working with difficult people which has proved extremely useful for a large number of County departments, particularly those that deal . extensively with the public. (Many department heads have received feedback from their employees that this training has been useful to them in terms of minimizing threat from potentially violent people. ♦ County Counsel - Instructions have been issued to staff about precautions to take, particularly when working after hours. ♦ Treasurer-Tax Collector - Appropriate measures have been taken to protect cash deposits. - Office redesign has provided separation of the public from staff. ♦ Assessor - An employee badge identification system has been instituted to control access to sensitive areas. - Office space has been rearranged to separate staff and public. ACTIONS IN PROGRESS ♦ Superior Court The Superior Court Security Committee and the Sheriff are currently working on various measures to further enhance security. These include: - Preparation of a comprehensive review of the existing system of security for the courts to determine its adequacy. - Possibility of establishing a profile on individual cases that would require increased security measures. - Posting of signs indicating that all people entering courthouse are subject to search. - Capability of being able to perform random, unannounced security checks with metal detectors of individuals entering the various courtrooms for highly-sensitive or family law cases. Report on Security Issues in Court Facilities and Other County Buildings January 11, 1988 Page 4 - Development of a profile of the types of cases that should be allocated by the court to be tried in high-security courtrooms. - Development of a comprehensive emergency response plan once the issues of the consolidation of the Sheriff/Marshal and consolidation of municipal court administration are completed. - Development of an appropriate liaison with the city police departments in cities where courthouses are located. - Visiting other counties to see what security measures are operational in their facilities. - The completion of additional court facilities will take into account high-security design criteria. - Establishment of an orientation, training and awareness program for all court personnel. The above items will be part of a security action plan to be discussed with the Superior Court judges next week. A similar meeting will be held shortly with the Municipal Court judges. ♦ Sheriff-Coroner - Review adequacy of available existing security hardware. - An Office Watch Program, similar to Neighborhood Watch, is being developed by the Crime Prevention Unit. - A video tape on security in the workplace is being developed that can be used in employee orientation. - An action plan is being instituted for County employees to inform them on the proper handling of hostile citizens and the proper procedures for obtaining emergency assistance: police, fire, and emergency medical. ♦ Risk Management - Solicit input from all County employees and bargaining units on identification of security problems. - The County's Administrative Bulletin on Emergency Preparedness is being revised. - In conjunction with Sheriff, creation of an information network among County employees that can alert employees to safety and security concerns within a short timeframe. - Make available Countywide, in conjunction with the Personnel Department and Sheriff-Coroner, the Social Service-developed course on dealing with potentially violent people. ♦ General Services Department - A review is under way of automatic locking doors. Any deficiencies will be corrected. - The Architectural Division will incorporate crime prevention and security criteria unto the design of new projects and remodeling using the Sheriff's Department as technical consultant. The County Administrator, Sheriff's Department, and the Risk Management Office will continue to review the overall security needs of the County and take action as appropriate.