Because of continued concerns about security in the courthouse complex, amplified by the Sept.

Friday, November 16, 2001

Because of continued concerns about security in the courthouse complex, amplified by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Freeborn County will implement new security measures starting Monday.

Two entrance doors of the courthouse will be locked, and the usage of meeting rooms will be limited.

County Administrator Ron Gabrielsen announced the security measures to all department heads Thursday.

The courthouse has six entrances: one for the old courthouse, three for the 1954 north wing and two for the Law Enforcement Center building.

The county will keep the old courthouse door and the back door beside the east entrance of the 1954 building closed all the time. While the county will deny access from outside, panic bars on those doors enable visitors and employees to exit.

All visitors will enter the courthouse either through the other two doors in the 1954 building or video camera-monitored doors at the Law Enforcement Center building, so that the county employees can spot all visitors when they come in.

The board meeting room in the basement of the 1954 building and a meeting room next to the north entrance of the Human Service Department will be no longer available to outside organizations. Only county-sponsored meetings and events will be authorized to use those spaces.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have amplified the need for security upgrades, which the court and law enforcement officials already demanded, Gabrielsen explained.