Garfield County Court House makes security changes, closes all but 1 door

Apr. 13—Garfield County Court House began taking extra safety steps last week by closing most doors into the building.

All courthouse doors will be closed except for the north entrance, where people will have to go through a metal detector. Visitors also can enter through handicap-accessible door on the south side, though they will need to be let in by a deputy and checked for weapons.

Lt. Ryan Fuxa, with Garfield County Sheriff's Office, said so far this year, there have been about 10 instances of contraband being brought into the courthouse.

The new security will help put a stop to that, Sheriff Cory Rink said.

"That's going to help cut down the the drugs and the contraband coming into the courthouse," Rink said.

Rink said these safety measures will benefit not only employees but also the public.

"On court days, we've got so many people in here," he said. "Sometimes we're bringing over murder suspects and child molesters, so that's going to help reduce some worries about anybody trying to harm someone else."

Fuxa said closures also will help with normal, day-to-day activities in the courthouse and with civil cases such as divorce court hearings.

With the handicap access on the south side of the building on the ground floor, visitors will wait in an indoor entryway, which has a heater inside, and push a button. Deputies on the first floor up with be notified via a camera and will go downstairs to talk to them through a microphone and let them in.

The closed doors are locked from the outside, and an alarm will ring out if they are opened from the inside. All courthouse visitors should enter and exit through the the north door.

The change will be a learning experience for everybody, Fuxa said.

"It's going to be different for everybody involved because for the last however many years, I've gone through the same doors, so it's going to be a bit different," he said.

Garfield County Sheriff's Office is looking to hire a deputy who will oversee the security at the courthouse. Applications are available at the sheriff's office.

Kelci McKendrick is police and court reporter for the Enid News & Eagle.

Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Do you have a story idea for Kelci? Send an email to kelcim@enidnews.com.