A Pulaski County commissioner is calling for Circuit Court to be moved out of the County Courthouse. During last week’s meeting, Commissioner Mike McClure said he wants move forward with a proposal to consolidate the county’s court system at the Pulaski County Justice Center. “Let’s start thinking and let’s see what it’s going to take to put all the judiciary over in the judiciary building, the courts, both courts over in the judiciary building,” he said. “Let’s start getting the ball rolling that-a-way, if it’s at all feasible.”
Pulaski County Council President Jay Sullivan first suggested the idea during the council’s joint session with the commissioners back in December. It’s seen as a cheaper alternative to installing a security checkpoint at the courthouse. It would also prevent the Sheriff’s Office from having to transport inmates across the street for trial.
Last week, McClure said it’s time to start working with the county council, as well as the judges and prosecutor, to start implementing the plan. “I think for the security and everything that everybody’s afraid of, if we could just keep all the judges and courts in that building, it could save us some headaches, maybe a disaster.”
Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn has been calling for security upgrades at the courthouse, following an uptick in courtroom violence. But he opposed the idea of moving Circuit Court to the Justice Center, saying that high-profile trials deserve the dignity of the courthouse. At the same time, the proposal would do little to address the security concerns of other county employees working in the courthouse.
