County Delays Courthouse Security Commissioners Waiting To See If Valley Incorporation Passes, And What That Means To The County Financially

Citing the uncertain financial impacts of possible Spokane Valley incorporation, county commissioners are hedging their promise to improve courthouse security.

Commissioners now say they must move “slowly” on that front.

People who work in the century-old building aren’t happy about the open-ended delay, particularly those who have been sounding the alarm for years.

“We have high concerns,” said Superior Court Judge Robert Austin, who heads the Courthouse Security Committee.

“I’m angry, but I’m trying to hold back,” said County Clerk Tom Fallquist.

Fallquist’s ire stems from a letter Commissioner Steve Hasson sent to the security committee late last week, nixing a request for emergency money.

“Caution dictates we go slowly,” Hasson wrote.

The vote on Valley incorporation is set for May 16. If the measure passes, commissioners say it will take time to evaluate the economic fallout.

Fallquist doesn’t understand the connection.

“The Valley incorporation has nothing to do with this security issue,” he said. “What are they telling us? Because the Valley incorporates, we have to wait for a tragedy to happen?

“This just isn’t one of those issues you can keep putting on the back burner. It’s here and you must face it.”

Hasson said security improvements are “a top priority,” but he cautioned against spending big money prior to the Valley vote.

If incorporation fails, most of the needed security measures will be immediately funded, he promised.

If the measure passes, bets are off.

“Realistically, we would still fund it, though, it’s just a question of when,” Hasson said.

Until now, courthouse employees believed the security problem was being aggressively tackled.

The twin catalysts: the March 2 fatal shootings of three women inside Seattle’s King County Courthouse; and the Oklahoma City bombing.

The tragedies have prompted court officials throughout the country to examine their security.

Spokane County officials already knew how dismal their situation is. While there hasn’t been a shooting at the courthouse in 21 years, a 1992 U.S. Marshal’s Service report described the building as “one of the least secure facilities … ever reviewed.”

Since the Seattle shooting, commissioners beefed up security by installing a sheriff’s deputy at a desk on the main floor. The county also sought bids for airport-style checkpoints, receiving 11 proposals.

Last week, commissioners picked Olympic Security Services Inc. of Seattle, which plans to operate walk-through metal detectors and X-ray machines at entrances to the courthouse, Public Safety Building and Juvenile Detention Center.

The service, including eight security officers and perimeter patrols, costs about $267,000 a year, according to Dave Hardy, Superior Court administrator.