Pricey port OK’d to improve security
By Michael Davidson Enterprise Staff Writer
Daily Camera
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A proposal to spend almost $500,000 to build a new entrance for the Combined Courts Building gave members of City Council sticker shock Tuesday.
The Broomfield Police Department said a new, more secure entrance to the courthouse is needed for the transport of prisoners. The entrance, known as a sally port, is the weakest link in the detention system, Police Chief Tom Deland said, and it hasn’t escaped the notice of prisoners contemplating a jail break.
City Council approved the plan, which will cost more than $496,000, but not before some council members balked.
“I know it’s important, but it’s a half-million dollars for a brick wall. It’s just obscene,” said Councilwoman Bette Erickson.
Councilman Randy Ahrens noted two houses could be built for that price.
Mayor Pro Tem Walt Spader joined Ahrens and Erickson in voting against the proposal, which passed 5-3. Council members Brian Kenyon and Linda Reynolds were absent.
Deland understood their concerns.
“Unfortunately it’s very expensive, because if you look at it it’s just a wall,” Deland said.
Well, several thick 14-foot-high walls, two hydrau
lically operated motorized gates and other electronic security equipment. Plus, walls around the trash bin and electric equipment adjacent to the entrance would be raised to prevent inmates from climbing on them in escape attempts.
The new entrance will be finished to blend with the exterior of the surrounding buildings.
The need for a new police entrance wasn’t disputed by council members. Police have to use as many as four large vans at a time to transport prisoners between the courthouse and the jail.
The current entrance, which is similar to a garage, won’t accommodate that many vehicles. Sometimes police must unload prisoners outside the port in the unsecured parking lot.
Deland said inmates have attempted to organize escapes at that location. He said the plots were foiled before attempts were made, and he declined to provide more details.
The jail and courthouse are too secure for breakouts to have good odds of success, Deland said. With the current courthouse entrance, a prisoner could flee into the courthouse parking lot, where a getaway car could be waiting, he said.
The setup also puts officers in danger. No barrier prevents vehicles from pulling alongside the prison vans while they are waiting to be unloaded. Officers could be vulnerable to accomplices, who could try to incapacitate them, Deland said.
“If an escape is going to occur of an inmate that we have, that’s exactly where it’s going to take place,” he said.
Being able to quickly drive all the vehicles into an enclosed area and close the door behind them makes the process far more secure.
“I think this will pretty much, as much as you can, guarantee we won’t have any escapes down there,” Deland said.
Building a chain link fence topped with razor wire wasn’t much cheaper, costing more than $300,000 and creating an eyesore.
The project should be completed by the end of March.
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