5/22/07 - Few changes as state takes over courthouse security

(As published by Cortland Standard, Anthony Sylor reporting)

Bob Ellis/staff photographer
New York State Courts Officer Bill Bracken inspects objects at the metal detector in the basement of the Cortland County Courthouse Friday, with fellow officer Carl Lanpher in background. Bracken and Lanpher are former Cortland County Sheriff’s Department officers who now work for the state, which has taken over security duties in courthouses.

Although the personnel and procedures will remain the same, security responsibilities in the Cortland County Courthouse are now under state control.
Since 1978 the state has contracted out the responsibilities to the Cortland County Sheriff’s Department, but starting last week the state Unified Court System took over the management of courthouse security, creating a new state operated police force to carry out the duties.
The change, which occurred locally Thursday, comes as part of a statewide initiative that will eventually create a unified state security personnel force in every county courthouse in the state.
“It was in the best interest of the state and the courts,” said Russ Oechsle, the district executive of the Sixth Judicial District in Binghamton.
The Unified Court System hired six sheriff’s officers — who have been contractually working as court security — to become full-time state employees. Oechsle said that the Unified Court System hired the officers because they are already familiar with the Courthouse, the procedures and regular court personnel.
“We are very pleased with the officers that we got,” he said. “We think this will be very successful.”
The only new officer in the building will be a sergeant who will be in charge of the officers on duty. Sgt. Dave Castner of Broome County has been undertaking the responsibilities since the change, but that responsibility may rotate to other sergeants from nearby counties depending on availability of personnel, said Security Coordinator Maxine Ripley.
Ripley said many of the former county officers received pay raises as a result of moving into the state system, and that all of their time toward retirement with the county will be accredited to the state.
“They are grandfathered in,” she said. “They are coming to us as if they are state employees.”
Ripley said each of the officers, who now wear blue state uniforms, will be paid $43,807 per year. Their usual duties include running the magnetometer, or metal detector, at the entrance of the courthouse, manning various security posts throughout the building and maintaining bailiff duties during court proceedings.
Officer Bill Bracken spent nearly 27 years with the Sheriff’s Department and was thinking of retiring before the transfer opportunity became available.
Bracken said as a veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, he was receiving the highest pay he could under the county system. Now as a state employee he will start at around the same pay as he was making with the county, but is able to look forward to a pay increase of around $2,300 each year.
“They told me I should consider looking into it,” he said of a few friends who already work for the Unified Court System. “It’s great. It has regular work hours which is unusual in law enforcement.”
Oechsle said Cortland County is one of several that have undergone the transfer over the past five years. Others counties that have the state personnel include, Erie, Albany, Onondaga and Broome counties as well as some counties in the Adirondack region, he said.
Oechsle said Tompkins, Schuyler and Chenango counties also expect to transfer the duties in the near future. The state also plans to take over security for the City Court but because none of the city police officers are willing to transfer into the state system that change will take a bit longer, he said.
The state will have to bring in new officers to fill the positions when it is ready to make the transfer, Oechsle said. Those duties include two officers at the magnetometer and one officer in the courtroom during court proceedings. Oechsle was unsure when that transfer will occur.
City Police Chief James Nicholas said the state fully funds the positions that the city officers currently hold. He said when the state replaces those officers with state officers he will petition the city Common Council to expand the police force in order to accommodate the transfer.
Ripley said that some time over the summer, the County Courthouse also will change the building’s security entrance, moving the metal detector to the north side entrance. That entrance is under construction.