Security at Grant County Courthouse to be examined

EPHRATA — A committee looking at improving security at the Grant County Courthouse is restarting.

The 20-member security committee was re-instituted after a group from the Grant County Bar Association brought concerns to the commissioners in December. The group of attorneys, judge, court clerk and the district court administrator spoke about concerns ranging from having a security post at the courthouse’s entrance to adding permanent metal detectors.

The committee’s first meeting starts at noon on Friday in the Grant County commissioners' hearing room on the second floor of the Grant County Courthouse.

Commissioner Cindy Carter said the commissioners are taking the lead in trying to find ways to address those concerns.

“We need to get that committee up and going,” she said. “There’s some security measures that we can change without costing the county any money … Some will be major, some will be minor.”

Sam Lorenz, Grant County Emergency Management’s director, stated the committee will address the purpose of the committee and the courthouse risks they wish to reduce or remove.

“Eventually we will discuss screening of people for weapons, when and how. Closure of access points may also be addressed,” he stated. “There are a multitude of concerns as well as needs that people working in the courthouse want to address, both in the courts and in the remainder of the buildings owned by the county where business will continue as usual.”