Prairie Grove Receives Grant For Court Security

LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Chris Workman, Prairie Grove police chief, shows off yellow bollards placed in front of the district court and police station to stop vehicles from driving into the building. Caps had not been placed on top of the bollards in this photo.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Chris Workman, Prairie Grove police chief, shows off yellow bollards placed in front of the district court and police station to stop vehicles from driving into the building. Caps had not been placed on top of the bollards in this photo.

PRAIRIE GROVE -- A $6,400 grant is being used to beef-up security for Prairie Grove District Court.

The city received the grant from Administrative Office of the Courts and with it, the city purchased and installed bollards in front of the building that houses the district court and purchased two tasers for officers while court is in session. The grant also is paying for a tinting film to be placed on all front facing windows in the building.

The bollards were installed in the wake of an accident last year when a man accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and ran a vehicle into the building. The accident caused damage to the brick and door frame.

Police Chief Chris Workman said the bollards should prevent any future occurrences of vehicles running into the building.

Susie Copeland, district court clerk, said it was quite scary when the vehicle hit the building.

"There was nothing out there to prevent cars from coming across the sidewalk," Copeland said. "We appreciate the bollards."

Workman said the bollards cost about $80-90 each and the city was able to save money by using in-house staff and participants with Washington County's work release program to install the bollards.

"It's worked out. Just the labor alone would have been expensive," Workman said.

The one-way window tint will provide more security and privacy for the district judge, court staff and others who are in the courtroom while court is in session. Police officers are placing the tinted film on the windows as time permits.

The tasers will be used by the court bailiff and the officer working the metal detector entrance and have already been purchased and are in place..

"This gives them a less lethal option in case an incident happens in the courtroom," Workman said.

Officers in the courtroom are taser certified. Prairie Grove officers are required to be shot by a taser before they are certified to carry one, Workman said.

Copeland said the state began offering grants after a fatal shooting occurred at the Crawford County Courthouse in Van Buren in September 2011. The suspect shot and injured one person and then was shot by police officers. He later died at the hospital.

"The state is really pushing for security for judges and court staff," Copeland said. "If they have grant money to give, we're willing to do whatever it takes to make it safer."

Along with these improvements, district court also is adding a security camera behind the building and installing a surveillance camera inside the court room. Money for these cameras will come from other court funds.

General News on 10/07/2015