Spartanburg to increase security in courtrooms

Steps have been taken to increase security in the Spartanburg County Judicial Center's courtrooms and hallways.

The move is precautionary and long overdue but did not require additional manpower, according to officials.

Until two weeks ago, an average of six deputies provided daily security in several courtrooms. They also transported and guarded inmates.

Two officers from the Spartanburg County Detention Center now transport and guard the inmates.

Deputies remain in each of the courtrooms to provide security for judges, court officials and the public during criminal, civil and Family Court sessions.

Authorities went a step further and gave detention officers additional duties at the courthouse. They oversee a new room designed to hold inmates waiting to appear before the judge.

A room adjacent to the holding area also has been set up for conferences to minimize hall traffic. Inmates can talk with the public defenders and lawyers there.

Spartanburg County Public Defender Charlie Sanders said the improvements are effective.

We had to go from room to room at the courthouse, looking for a place to talk to clients. You usually have a mamma or preacher along, especially when its time for a 17-year-old defendant to plead guilty, Sanders said.

The change in security was a cooperative effort by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and the Detention Center.

Major Willie Brown with the sheriff's office said security in the courtrooms was addressed as part of the sheriff's office's bid to be accredited.

For 18 months it has worked on a three-year plan to become accredited by the national Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Brown, Sheriff Bill Coffey, and Warden Larry Powers, director of the Detention Center, came up with the new security measures.

Powers said detention officers also provide security in magistrate court, a practice they've done for years.

While it is practical for detention officers to oversee inmates, it also gives them a break from from their traditional jobs.

"This gives my officers a more active role in the criminal justice system," Powers said.