, 
, 
Installation of bulletproof glass at the county’s court administration office is the latest in several security upgrades to the Rock County Courthouse this year.
The updates stem from a grant received by the Minnesota Judicial Branch to conduct courthouse security training in various regions across the state.
“These training sessions were not offered in response to any specific incident,” said state court administration spokesman Beau Berentson in an email. “Though, as we’ve learned through tragedy, we know Minnesota is not immune to courthouse violence.”
The training sessions, provided by the National Center for State Courts, were designed to prepare both court and county officials for different emergency situations, according to Berentson. Focus of the trainings was on safety and security issues of the greatest concern, namely active shooters and hostage situations.
From this training, local court personnel in the Fifth Judicial District have come back to their home counties and evaluated their local courtrooms and administration offices.
In Rock County the court administrator’s office requested $30,000 to $35,000 in security upgrades to the Luverne location.
By state statute, counties are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the courthouse facilities. The unbudgeted upgrades for Rock County will be paid for from county reserves.
“People visit their local courthouses to access their justice system and handle official government matters within their county,” Berentson explained.
“They should have the confidence that their courthouse is safe and secure — as should the employees and officials who work and serve in the courthouse.”
The largest of the security expenditures was the three panes of 1 5/8-inch-thick bulletproof glass installed Sept. 22.
The installation included a new metal frame with a small slot stamped into the counter where paperwork is slid under the glass. Speakers were installed through the glass for easier communication.
Earlier this year panic buttons were installed in various offices within the courthouse including the basement commissioners’ room. Wiring for the interior closed-circuit camera upgrade to high definition was also completed.
Dropped from the list of security improvements was the request for exterior cameras, county administrator Kyle Oldre told commissioners at their July 7 meeting.
Other requested changes included the locking of unoccupied rooms within the courthouse along with daily inspections of each floor of the courthouse.
“We need to do some drills either active shooter, bomb scare or fire drill,” Oldre said.
No drill schedule has been established