Good compromise on courtroom security

The York County Council doesn’t want to raise the public’s property taxes. But we’re happy to see it also doesn’t want to jeopardize the public’s security.

The council on Monday rejected a motion that would have increased the property tax rate to cover the costs of new sheriff’s deputies to bolster courtroom security and pay for overtime at the detention center. But while council members had concerns about how to find the money to pay for the new deputies, they were solidly in favor of beefing up security in the county’s courtrooms.

So, as an alternative, council members voted to dip into the general fund for the approximately $220,000 needed.

The council took a similar tack Monday in approving $1.5 million from the general fund to provide more courtroom space to handle a new influx of cases in Family Court. The need for more space arises because of a state law passed earlier this year.

Under the law, 17-year-old defendants will be tried as juveniles instead of adults, which means they will be tried in Family Court instead of Circuit Court. It also means that Family Court is likely to be forced to deal with hundreds more cases each year.

We think the change is a good one. Younger defendants should not be sent to prisons with older, hardened criminals. Trying them as juveniles is more likely to include supervision and a chance to reform.

We also think the addition of six new deputies for courtroom security is crucial. Sheriff Bruce Bryant has told the council he has had to resort to taking deputies off road duty to staff courtrooms. This not only limits the number of officers patrolling the roads but also has resulted in hundreds of hours in overtime expenses.

Despite the renovation of Moss Justice Center to make it more secure, deputies are needed on site there and at other courtrooms in the county. Physical security measures help but can’t replace deputies who can react to an emergency.

With sound money management, the county has considerable reserves upon which it can draw. That helps provide the means to deal with needs such as these without having to enact a property tax increase.

The general fund is not a bottomless well, but we’re glad the county was able to tap available funds to both prevent a potentially severe backlog in Family Court and provide the necessary security in the county’s courtrooms.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Good compromise on courtroom security."