As Mower County sheriff, Terese Amazi wants to make safety in the community a top priority, but she thinks the Mower County Jail and Justice Center has room for improvement in that regard.

Amazi is requesting that the county board increase her budget to allow for metal detectors to be operated during business hours, meaning all citizens entering the jail and justice center would pass through the metal detector.

“With court houses and things the way they are currently … we believe that certainly the climate is right for an incident,” she said. “It could happen here.”

If her budget is approved, the county would have at least two individuals at the metal detector at all times, and one or both would need to be an armed deputy due to the nature of the screenings, according to Amazi.

When you consider time off and lunches, county staff has said the county would need to hire three additional employees for the metal detectors.

Because of the staffing needs, it could prove costly, according to Commissioner Tim Gabrielson, who serves on the finance committee.

“It just takes a lot of people,” he said.

Gabrielson noted the county has been steadily boosting its safety efforts since building the Mower County Jail and Justice Center. Though costly, Gabrielson said the action is necessary after incidents across the country. County staff often call it a sad statement on the state of the world.

“It’s something that unfortunately, for the safety of our employees, has to be done,” Gabrielson said.

Though it could prove expensive due to staffing needs, Gabrielson thinks the metal detector may be necessary for employee safety.

“Unfortunately, I think we’ll end up having to go that route,” he said.

Security at courthouses and at government offices has been a growing concern and focus for many years. The county and law enforcement even held an active shooter training drill in June.

When the Mower County Jail and Justice Center opened in 2010, most offices featured safety windows. The county has been adding safety windows at the Mower County Government Center as it has made upgrades around the building. The county has also added key card doors for access to offices, and the plan is to eventually add safety glass at all county offices.

But the good news is that Mower County planned for eventually using metal detectors when it built the Mower County Jail and Justice Center. If the change occurs, Amazi anticipates the far west of the current three doors going from the entryway into the main floor of the justice center will remain locked, sending people through one door. That’s likely where the metal detector will be with tables nearby to go through bags. There’s even been discussion about adding an X-ray machine to go through bags, but that would have to be bought.

“We’re doing our part to keep as safe as possible,” Amazi said.

Several weeks ago, the metal detectors were in use after multiple court houses in the state received a non-specific threat, causing increased security.

Typically, the county has one bailiff per courtroom, but the county will soon see an increased workload since Mower County chambered a third judge this summer. They also use them when there’s going to be a contentious hearing. With their current budget, there’s not enough funding to operate as much as Amazi would like.

“We don’t have the man power to use them [all the time],” she said.

Unless there’s a busy jury trial or a large jury pool, Amazi said the metal detectors shouldn’t require too much extra time for people entering the courthouse, but jurors often aren’t screened.

Amazi has received positive feedback and letters of support from different departments, like correctional services and the attorney’s office so far.

—Jason Schoonover contributed to this report.