Grand Jury Calls for New Measures to Increase Security at Courthouse

The 1985-86 Orange County Grand Jury went out swinging Tuesday, charging that security in the Central Courthouse has not kept pace with the volume or severity of the felony cases handled there.

In the first of three final reports issued Tuesday, the outgoing panel recommended that Marshal James C. Byham speed completion of a security plan for the 11-story courthouse in downtown Santa Ana and institute a photo identification-badge system for court personnel.

“While the overall security measures in the Central Courthouse have been adequate in the past, changes in the population . . . and the increase in the number of court cases indicate an urgent need for revision and updating of all security measures,” jurors wrote.

Jurors said the number of deputy marshals assigned to the courthouse has remained the same since 1983, despite a jump in the number of cases tried.

37% Increase in Cases

They noted a 37% increase in the number of felony cases tried in Central Court in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 1985. There also was “a shift to more serious, violent types of crime being tried,” jurors wrote. The panel’s report did not address special security measures taken for such high-profile defendants as Night Stalker suspect Richard Ramirez, who appeared in Orange County Municipal Court last week in connection with an attack on a couple in Mission Viejo.

The jury recommended that the presiding judges of the Superior and Municipal courts consult with Byham on “a realistic, achievable staffing plan” and the level of training and security systems needed for emergencies.

Jurors also recommended that an identification-badge program being developed for Municipal Court personnel be expanded to include Superior Court and other county employees who work in the facility. They said this will free security officers to check only people lacking proper identification.

They also recommended security screening for custodians.

In a second report, the panel found that a task force created four years ago to reform Orange County’s special district system--districts that oversee various services such as libraries and refuse collection--has lost steam, halting efforts to reduce $11 million in administrative costs for operating 121 local agencies.

Jurors said the task force had helped to eliminate three local cemetery districts, incorporated a library district into the City of Yorba Linda, and pared away Garden Grove Sanitary District areas that overlapped with adjacent cities.

But recently, they said, the body’s efforts “have been diminishing,” pointing out that no meetings have taken place in 1986.

Contending that further savings are possible, jurors asked the Board of Supervisors to order the task force to resume efforts to consolidate special districts dealing with everything from flood control, sewers and lighting to libraries, parking and landscaping.

In its final report, jurors called for a clearer understanding of the liability faced by firefighters and police officers responding to emergencies. The panel said that existing immunity laws for public safety personnel need updating and refining.

The 19-member panel, which was replaced Tuesday afternoon when the 1986-87 Grand Jury was sworn in by Superior Court Judge Francisco P. Briseno, added a final call for the county to seek a state Department of Health Services audit of county environmental health programs. A foreman for the incoming grand jury will be selected next week.