Chippewa County hires another courthouse security officer

CHIPPEWA FALLS — Instead of remodeling the Chippewa County Courthouse to create a single point of entry, the Chippewa County Board unanimously approved hiring a second security officer to patrol the courthouse.

The new position will be listed as a Jailer II, allowing the person to be a sworn officer and carry a gun, and would cost about $110,000 between wages, benefits and other costs. The county’s Executive Committee already unanimously approved hiring the additional officer.

Chief Deputy Curt Dutton spoke to the board about the Jailer II position. He said his office didn’t have a dedicated person to fill in when the current bailiff is sick or on vacation.

“With the Jailer II position, we’ll have someone there full-time,” Dutton told the board.

Sheriff Travis Hakes addressed the board and endorsed the plan, saying he liked that this new officer would have a centrally located office on the first floor.

“I think this would help calm people who come to the courthouse and calm the employees,” Hakes said. “It would be more of a visual presence here. Everyone comes in and out of the building on the first floor. We’d be able to identify some possible threats before they got further into the courthouse. I think this is a step in the right direction and a step we can take quick action on.”

County Administrator Randy Scholz told the board Tuesday the final vote on a revamped courthouse security plan will take place next month. Scholz pointed out all the security upgrades since 2012, from remodeling offices that feature plexi-glass barriers and card access with cipher locks to adding security cameras throughout the courthouse campus.

“Obviously, there is a lot of stuff that happens in this courthouse that people aren’t happy about,” Scholz told the board. “We didn’t just keep (security upgrades) to the courthouse; we included the highway department. The list really shows the county board has spent millions of dollars to make this place more secure.”

The need for a courthouse security plan compounded when a Duluth-area man made threats to a judge and the entire courthouse complex in May 2023.

“It really brought it to the forefront,” Scholz said of the May incident. “It really re-energized this discussion, even though we’ve been moving down that path toward this for years.”

He added: “It’s a tough issue, for sure, and that’s why a lot of counties are struggling with it.”

Scholz released a report in January that showed remodeling the Chippewa County Courthouse to make a single point of entry is expected to cost between $500,000 and $1 million. If that plan had moved forward, everyone would have needed to enter the doors in the northwest corner of the building, as that is closest to most of the parking lots.

There are presently five doors to the courthouse: one on the east, one on the north, two on the west and one in the cul-de-sac on the south side of the building.

Scholz said they discussed closing the eastern entrance to the public, but that wasn’t feasible because it is a handicap-accessible door. However, they may opt to close an inner door that allows people to immediately go to a staircase to go up or down levels.

Hiring a second security officer was one of the other options to a single point of entry that Scholz laid out in his plan in January. “This would allow the current courthouse security officer to focus on the courtroom needs. The new position would provide backup/depth and be available for other security needs including responding to duress alarms, assisting the public, transporting individuals from the jail to court, if needed, etc.,” he wrote.

In 2013, the county board adopted a Government Campus Integrated Security Plan, which they continue to implement. A 2012 study indicated Chippewa County should hire two full-time bailiffs.

In 2019, deputy Mark Hollister became a full-time bailiff and courthouse security officer. A room was remodeled into his office near the courtrooms, where he has access to footage from about 50 cameras located inside and outside the building.

Last fall, Scholz and facilities director Larry Ritzinger met with Wold Architects & Engineers and discussed options for a single point of entrance.

Harley Alcala, the man accused of threatening the courthouse on May 1, 2023, has been charged with making terroristic threats, threats to a judge, and threats to injure. Alcala has since moved to Texas. Last week, his attorney announced Alcala is under a mental health commitment at a hospital and his case is delayed.