'Somebody’s going to get seriously hurt': Brown County judges push harder for better courthouse security

GREEN BAY - Brown County's longest-serving judge used to feel strongly that one of the best things about the Brown County Courthouse was that it was open to anyone.

Then came Aug. 18.

A trial that ended that day had supporters of the defendant confronting the victim, who had to testify about having been sexually assaulted in her early teens. A supporter of the defendant called the victim, "a b***h," Judge Donald Zuidmulder said during the Sept. 6 Public Safety Committee meeting.

"Anyone could have had a weapon," said Zuidmulder, the volume of his voice rising. "Tomorrow, next month, six months from now, somebody’s going to get seriously hurt in that courthouse."

Zuidmulder, who has worked at the courthouse since he was first elected judge in 1997, and as a prosecutor before that, said the incident is "the most serious one I've ever had" as a judge. Previously a supporter of not modifying the courthouse to limit access, he has since become a supporter of making the building safer.

Judge Tammy Jo Hock, Brown County Circuit Court's presiding judge, has attended several public meetings this year to advocate for increased security.

"There are disturbances on a regular basis," Hock said of the courthouse, which is at 100 S. Jefferson St. in Green Bay.

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The judges, though not asking for specific improvements, clearly agree that it's too easy for someone who wants to do harm to gain access to the county's courts. Once inside the building, it's easy to enter a courtroom without being checked or challenged.

For years, county officials have said security at the courthouse should be beefed up. But so far, the county has made little progress in doing so.

Todd Delain is the latest Brown County sheriff to support security upgrades. Supporters have suggested employing more security officers, adding metal detectors and taking other measures to address the problem.

But other than reducing the number of entrances to one in the spring of 2021, nothing has been done.

Committee member Randy Schultz of Ashwaubenon said a proposal was presented in June to the Public Safety Committee.

Upgrading an area of the courthouse would have cost the county about $4 million; Brown County had about $2.4 million available to fund the project.

Schultz said a plan was presented this summer, but "never went anywhere." It called for building a small addition to the building's entrance to house security equipment that people entering the building would have had to pass through before having access to courtrooms.

Over time, the county's approach to security has shifted.

In the mid-1980s, Schultz recalled, a deputy — even one scheduled to spend most of his shift in a patrol car — had to remove his pistol from his holster and leave it in a lock-box before he was allowed to enter the courthouse. Even early in the last decade, the county's eight judges were divided on the issue of whether the courthouse needed to be "hardened" — made more secure against people who might want to harm people who were due in court, or who worked in the building.

While sheriff's officials over the years have said they supported the idea of a courthouse with increased security, they say security measures have limitations. A common example involves the use of metal detectors; a detector at the courthouse entrance would make it significantly harder for someone to bring a gun into court, but it doesn't protect attorneys and courtroom spectators once they leave the building.

Meanwhile most, but not all, area counties require visitors to pass through a metal detector before entering a courtroom. Outagamie, Winnebago and Fond du Lac counties require people to be screened by a metal detector before entering court, as does U.S. District Court in Green Bay.

Manitowoc County is able to station a portable metal-detector at the entrance to a particular courtroom if judges or security workers fear violence during a particular court proceeding. But on most days, the courtrooms, and the multiple entrances to the building, are open to the public.

The county's Public Safety Committee voted 5-0 in early August to ask the county administration to "provide options to secure the courthouse." County Board members agreed with Schultz that this "really needs to be moved along and taken care of," but did not set deadlines or a timetable.

Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: After outburst, Brown County judges seek better courthouse security