Discussion of security at the Pulaski County Courthouse carried over from the joint session into the County Council meeting, Monday night.
Pulaski County IT Director RB Walters addressed the Council about the possibility of security camera purchases. The upgrades have been discussed with members of the Pulaski County Commissioners – who have expressed their verbal support for such a measure.
Walters says if someone pushes a panic button, the Sheriff’s Department could be at a disadvantage if they don’t have security cameras.
“You don’t know what’s happening inside the building, you don’t know where this person came in, where this person is at, what this person looks like so on and so forth,” says Walters. “Right now we have nothing to say what this person looks like and if you ask 15 different people, they would probably tell you 15 different answers.”
Pulaski County wrapped up a lengthy discussion about courthouse security about an hour before the request was made.
Installing security cameras at the courthouse would not only allow suspicious individuals to be spotted more easily, but also provide a more accurate accounting of events, and allow real-time information if an active shooter should enter the Pulaski County Courthouse.
Walters says there are different things the cameras could do.
“There would be a camera actually facing that public individual standing there,” says Walters. “It would be pointed at the doors and the hallways. So that, if something were to ever happen, we would have documentation of where that person is at and we could get cameras to where you could have two-way audio.”
The Council recommended that the IT Department wait until a committee formed to look into security earlier in the meeting comes back with its recommendations.
Walters requested an end date be established so that the planning is completed and implemented.
