Justice of the Piece

If you are headed to court this week, prepare to check your bag at the door.

A $1.2-million overhaul of courthouse security kicked into action Monday morning as authorities for the first time required that people entering the Hall of Justice be screened for weapons on the first floor.

While some courthouse employees groused about the long lines leading up to new metal detectors and X-ray machines, authorities said they received few complaints.

“The longest wait was about a minute or two--it was a very courteous crowd,” said Sheriff’s Cmdr. Marty Rouse, who oversees courthouse security. “And I had several people say, ‘It’s about time.’ ”

The full-entry screening system is designed to prevent people from carrying concealed weapons into the county’s main courthouse, where a growing number of violent felonies and volatile family law cases are heard each year.

Although two metal detectors have been operational outside family court on the building’s fourth floor since 1994, authorities have long believed tighter security was necessary throughout the Hall of Justice.

Upgrades were first considered in the wake of the 1993 shooting rampage at the Employment Development Department offices in Oxnard in which three people were killed by an unemployed computer engineer.

But a lack of available funding stalled the county’s efforts.

A break came earlier this year when Ventura County Superior Court was allocated more than $800,000 in state funds for security equipment and staffing.

The county kicked in an additional $400,000 for structural improvements, and after several weeks of construction, authorities launched the new system. They plan to fine-tune it throughout the week.

Lawyers, police officers, prospective jurors--and anyone else entering the courthouse--will be required to pass through one of three airport-style metal detectors.

Hand-held items, such as purses and briefcases, must go on conveyor belts through high-tech X-ray machines operated by private security guards.

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The stations are supervised by three armed sheriff’s deputies, who also watch for people trying to sneak in through exit-only doors.

“There have only been a couple of people who’ve been really annoyed,” said Deputy Steve Abshire, who is assigned to one of the new stations. “I haven’t seen anybody have a problem with it.”

Sabrina Carlson, a 14-year-old Ventura resident, passed through the metal detector on her way to a friend’s court appearance. She called the tightened system a smart move.

“It’s a good idea,” she said. “It’s just a little bit of a hassle.”

The security measures, which will be added to the east county courthouse in Simi Valley within a year, also affect about 700 court employees, including prosecutors and public defenders.

Returning from lunch Monday, several employees griped about the long lines and general inconvenience of having to be screened every time they return to the building.

“I think it’s stupid,” grumbled Deputy Public Defender Neil Quinn. “I felt no safer out there than I do in here.”

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Deputy Public Defenders Howard Asher and Jan Helfrich breezed through a metal detector on the north side of the courthouse after lunch, but Asher still remarked that there must be a less intrusive way to reach his desk.

“We’re going to look for the secret underground passage,” he quipped. “I know there is one around here for county employees.”

But others said the hassle is worth knowing the courthouse is safer.

“It’s unfortunately necessary,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Bill Redmond, standing in line outside the north side of the building. “Because the downside is not doing this and then having a problem inside.”

After the 1993 EDD shooting, the county spent $70,000 for a consultant to study security at courthouses and other government buildings.

The consultant determined that full-entry screening should be established to head off the types of violent incidents that have rocked other courthouses across the state.

A 1995 shooting at the civil courthouse in downtown Los Angeles left a woman involved in a divorce case dead, and galvanized court officials there into purchasing four metal detectors.

Ventura County started using metal detectors on the fourth floor the same year, and authorities say they have their own near-misses with violence within the Hall of Justice.

A revolver was found 16 months ago in the bathroom of the law library, said Sheriff’s Capt. Bruce Hansen. And a knife was recently taken off a known gang member after a deputy noticed it in court.

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On Monday, authorities stopped a handful of people for bringing knives into the courthouse. Rouse said his deputies did not seize the weapons, mostly pocketknives, but told people to return to their cars and leave them there.

As for delays, Rouse said most of the holdup stemmed from people being unaccustomed to the new system and having to empty their pockets at the metal detectors.

“I recommend coming a few minutes early, especially this first month,” he said. “And leave your bazookas at home.”