By Brad Williams
The Knoxville News-Service
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Courthouses in 83 counties are receiving funds to increase security, the Supreme Court of Tennessee Administrative Offi ce of the Courts announced Monday.
A total of $2 million is being invested, and counties have agreed to match funds they requested by about 10 percent.
Sue Allison, spokeswoman for the Administrative Offi ce of the Courts, said once all counties made requests, there was enough money to go around.
“The counties told us what they needed and pretty much got what they asked for,” Allison said. She said some counties, such as Davidson County which has a new courthouse, felt their security needs were met and did not ask for assistance.
The money, which was approved by Gov. Phil Bredesen and the Legislature, may be used for things like panic buttons for judges, handheld metal detectors, bulletproof benches, X-ray machines, surveillance equipment and Tasers.
Knox County will receive $15,000 and contribute an additional $1,666 for the match.
Knox County acting Sheriff Tom Spangler said the county’s new courthouse needs no improvements but the old courthouse needs better surveillance systems: cameras and monitors.
“That was the main thing we wanted to look at,” along with fiber optic infrastructure in the building that would make it possible to use existing equipment from the new courthouse at the old courthouse, Spangler said.
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said its $20,000 grant would be spent on cameras and a card key system for judges’ chambers.
In Loudon County, which received $44,600, the focus is on metal detection, Mayor Doyle Arp said.
“We requested two X-ray machines, four hand-held (metal detectors) ... some bullet-proof benches, for the judges,” and even walk-through magnetometers, Arp said, though he said they won’t be able to afford it all.
Though Roane County experienced the fatal shooting of veteran state correction officer Wayne “Cotton” Morgan at its courthouse in August of 2005, the county will take only $4,000 from the funds.
Since Jennifer Hyatte shot Morgan in the parking lot as he was bringing her convict husband George Hyatte out of the courthouse, the issue could not be solved by the grant, grant coordinator Joyce Nall said.
“Because of our incident, we already had more security in our courthouse than most of our adjoining, comparable sized counties,” Nall said.
She said the county requested the money to attend training for courthouse personnel.
Copyright 2007 Knoxville News-Service