$500K in grants to be distributed to 13 counties for courthouse safety, security improvements
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More than a dozen Minnesota counties will be receiving grant money to improve safety and security at their courthouses.
More than a dozen Minnesota counties will be receiving grant money to improve safety and security at their courthouses.
Some of the grants will be going to providing security training to courthouse officials and staff, installing bullet-resistant glazing on glass at public service counters, replacing aging security equipment and duress alarms at county courthouses.
“We developed the Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative really in the wake of increased incidents of violence at courthouses across the country and right here in Minnesota,” said Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea. There have been high-profile incidents inside Minnesota courthouses, including in 2011 at the Cook County Courthouse, and also a shooting in 2003 at the Hennepin County Government Center.
A total of $500,000 in grants from the Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative have been awarded to the following counties:
- Anoka
- Becker
- Big Stone
- Carlton
- Chippewa
- Cottonwood
- Faribault
- Hubbard
- Koochiching
- McLeod
- Meeker
- Ramsey
- Sibley
“We really do as a government need to take steps to make sure people feel safe when they come and access their court system,” Chief Justice Gildea said. “They deserve to feel safe this grant program helps to ensure they do.”
More than a dozen Minnesota counties will be receiving grant money to improve safety and security at their courthouses.
State court officials say each county will provide a dollar-for-dollar match for its grant award, which can be either cash or in-kind services.
According to the state, the awards ranged from $1,800-$155,000. While six were for more than $25,000, there were three awards which were less than $5,000.
“This is important to Sheriffs across the state, who have varying levels of security, and the money helps” said William Hutton, Executive Director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association.
Hutton said some of the state’s courthouses are in historic buildings that can provide challenges for Sheriff’s departments to provide security.
The Minnesota Legislature first appropriated $1 million for the grant program established by Chief Justice Gildea back in 2016 for safety and security improvements.