Commissioners work on improving security at courthouse

By LOU ANTONELLI

Editor-in-Chief

Titus County Commissioners Monday took two steps to upgrade security systems at the county courthouse.

Paul Lindsey, investigator with the County Attorney’s office, received permission to spend $2,774.25 with Secure Tech Systems Inc. to service the panic alarm system in county offices.

He said he wanted to update contact phone numbers and add three offices to the system.

The system in place “is a real good system,” said Lindsey. “It’s very reliable.”

If activated, in addition to notifying law enforcement directly the panic alarm sends out text messages and email, he said.

In addition to the current offices, he said he will add the offices of the Veterans Service Officer, the Juvenile Probation Department, and the County Auditor.

The upgrade will come with a two-year warranty, he said.

Lindsey also received permission to hire Newman Electronics to install a door access lock, remote entry control, and audio/video recording system for the County Treasurer’s office at a cost of $2,479.

He said it is sometimes a good precaution “to secure our office work spaces.”

There been no cases of people making threats in the Treasurer’s office, he said, but there have certainly been cases where people were “highly upset”.

County Judge Brian Lee said providing office security is a good idea because “we can’t secure the entire courthouse.”

Both expenditures will come from a Security Fund that collects fees from court filings, and not the county’s general fund.