https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


New judicial center offers improved security

New judicial center offers improved security

Moving from a crowded courthouse in downtown St. Augustine, Fla., to a new judicial center provided an opportunity for St. Johns County to improve its
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st November 1997

Moving from a crowded courthouse in downtown St. Augustine, Fla., to a new judicial center provided an opportunity for St. Johns County to improve its security and avoid key control problems as well.

The former building housed many related functions, including offices for the clerk of courts, state’s attorney, tax collector, property appraiser and supervisor of elections. Not only was the facility crowded, with scheduling difficulties and back logs – but security consisted mainly of a duress alarm system and a bailiff for each judge. Police officers escorted 30 to 40 handcuffed and manacled prisoners through public hallways each day.

The new judicial center, an 82,000-square-foot building, was completed in June 1994. The project also included a 21,000-square-foot addition to a former administration building located across a courtyard.

Now, the facility houses all the operations that were located in the old courthouse, but with more space and better organization. Instead of sharing courtrooms, the judges have five full-sized courtrooms with attendant judges’ chambers and a large, formal hearing room. Four cells are provided for short-term holding of prisoners, who are brought to the facility through a sallyport to avoid public contact.

For security, the county installed an access control system, manufactured by Von Duprin, Indianapolis, at the judicial center. The system’s card readers are located at entrances and at doors leading from one area to another, with more than 36 readers being used.

“We use the readers to allow employees to come and go without having to go through the guard station and without having to issue an overabundance of keys,” Building Manager Wayne Pacetti says. Where exit devices are used, the system’s card readers activate electric latch retraction. Doors with lever trim are equipped with electric strikes instead.

Pacetti controls the readers through a PC-based system with some two dozen access levels, some of which are limited in time, while others allow 24-hour access, depending on the cardholder’s position and job requirements. “I created a time-zone control for five or six entry points around the outside of the building, where any employee with a badge can enter between 6:45 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. by just passing a card through the reader,” Pacetti says. “Before or after those times, it requires a card and a PIN. Once they get past the outside checkpoint, there’s a second reader that allows entry with only the card.”

Some cards, such as those issued to a contractor or an attorney working on a special project, expire after a certain time period. Others may allow access only to certain areas or through certain doors as required. The system provides a high degree of flexibility in setting up time zone controls.

The computer stores records of access attempts around the clock, which provides a valuable record for monitoring building security. The system is set to retain the entry records for two months and then erase them to avoid filling the hard drive. Public entrances are staffed by guards during operating hours, and about 20 cameras watch other locations. A split-screen monitor and zoom controls allow more detailed surveillance of remote areas.

Tags:

Most Recent


  • New judicial center offers improved security
    Take American City & County's budgeting survey
    With the recently passed infrastructure-related legislation by the federal government, local administrators across the United States are poised to make historic investments into their communities.  Given the generational precedence of this action, we’re curious about the state of local budgets—what expense lines are increasing the fastest year-over-year? In what area has federal funding been the […]
  • Atlanta, Ga.
    Six cities and counties will take stock of underutilized assets in Rethinking Revenue incubator
    The Government Finance Officers Association in collaboration with various organizations including Urban3 and the Sorenson Impact Center has been spearheading a forward-looking approach to public financing, the Rethinking Revenue Project, an investigation of the foundational structure of government revenue and underutilized assets, for about a year now. A new initiative launched by the collaboration is […]
  • Seamless Cooperative Experience Saves Indiana City Exponentially in Time and Money
    Significant new responsibility in an unfamiliar spend category didn’t intimidate Jasper-Dubois County Public Library Director, Christine Golden. What could’ve been an overwhelming furniture project for a state-of-the-art, 67,000 square-foot new facility turned into a seamless, stress-free experience through a cooperative purchasing strategy. “Stress-free” may sound like an exaggeration, but it’s the result that cooperative purchasing […]
  • 10 best large cities for fishing
    Across the United States, Americans of all backgrounds—from both urban and rural settings alike—enjoy a mutual pastime: fishing. But while there are plenty of cities that feature lakes and rivers, some large metro areas are better fishing communities than others.  A list created by Apartment Guide considers all U.S. cities with a population of more […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Public procurement can be transformative for stakeholders in a community
  • The 10 Most Sustainable Large U.S. Cities

White papers


How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Take American City & County’s budgeting survey dlvr.it/ST0qQP

28th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Six cities and counties will take stock of underutilized assets in Rethinking Revenue incubator dlvr.it/ST0ZVp

28th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Seamless Cooperative Experience Saves Indiana City Exponentially in Time and Money dlvr.it/SSxp95

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

10 best large cities for fishing dlvr.it/SSxbSZ

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Generational differences present an opportunity to reinvent public sector service delivery dlvr.it/SSxbN7

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come dlvr.it/SSnmS7

24th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships dlvr.it/SSkGBn

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making dlvr.it/SSk3H0

23rd June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X