For the past few months, those entering the magistrate court at city hall have experienced something new — a metal detector.
And not just a metal detector but a security guard as well.
The court installed a walk-through metal detector and began using hand-held metal detector wands at the end of June. Staff uses the equipment when court is in session, which is almost every weekday. City Manager Justin Clifton said the court security guard position in this year’s city budget is also to satisfy the state’s safety mandate.
“Courts all across the state, and country, have security in place for many years, in most cases,” Magistrate Judge Lisa Parsons said. “It’s important that everyone feels safe when they come to court, including not only staff, but the public as well. We handle a variety of cases every week and are glad security is now in place to help assure everyone’s safety at court and hopefully they feel more comfortable being here.”
Although court staff has been trained on how to use the equipment, Parsons said the court received approval from Sedona City Council earlier this year to hire a security officer.
“We were lucky to find a recently-retired state trooper from New York, who is doing a fantastic job,” she said. “She recently completed a week-long training course in Phoenix and has another in December.”
Parsons said what led the city to getting the metal detector and guard was an administrative order from the Arizona Supreme Court issued in 2017 mandating all courts in Arizona have security. The mandate was for a three-year, phased-in approach, with the deadline for implementation set this summer. The metal detector and hand-held devices cost just under $5,000, and a grant covered nearly the entire expense.
“It’s important to note that all courts in the Verde Valley now have security equipment and a security officer, as required by the administrative order,” Parsons said.
In addition to the metal detectors and court security officer, during the three-year period leading up to implementation of these security measures, the court has gone through a security assessment and will periodically reassess every three years.
“Many new policies and procedures have been put in place — this has not simply been a matter of installing the new equipment and hiring a security officer,” Parsons added.
