LJWorld.com

A recent break-in at the Douglas County Courthouse has prompted county officials to gather information about increased security measures.

After their administrative building was ransacked about two years ago, Riley County officials decided 24-hour surveillance cameras were in order as a security measure.

The burglar, or burglars, walked off with computers, video equipment, cameras and petty cash.

"They went through pretty systematically," said Eric Shoults, assistant county engineer.

Douglas County officials recently learned what it's like to experience a courthouse break-in. Sometime between Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, burglars entered through a basement-level handicapped-accessible door at the courthouse, breaking into the clerk's and treasurer's offices on the main floor. About $2,000 of personal money that county clerk Patty Jaimes had been keeping in a file cabinet turned up missing. The burglars also caused about $500 in damage.

The break-in, especially disruptive because it was discovered on the Dec. 21 deadline for paying personal property taxes, caused county officials to give increased security a second thought.

The treasurer's and clerk's offices are protected at night by steel gates that cover up the windows and entrances, similar to the gates that mall stores roll down at the end of the business day. Transactions at the treasurer's office are recorded by surveillance cameras during business hours, but at night the courthouse has no camera or alarm system in place.

After Riley County's break-in at the administrative building, which houses the office of the county clerk, treasurer, public works and appraiser, 24-hour cameras went in. Police officers also check county complex buildings; that's how the break-in was detected, Shoults said.

In Saline County, county offices are housed in the same building with city departments and the courts. The three-floor, roughly 100,000-square-foot building is protected by a 24-hour surveillance system, but there are no metal detectors at the doors, a feature at many courthouses across the country.

Jim Schroeder, building authority superintendent, said two full-time sheriff's deputies work on the third floor of the building, providing security for the courts.

Saline County hasn't been the victim of a break-in in about 10 years, Schroeder said.

Visitors and employees of the courthouse in Shawnee County must go through a metal detector to access the building. The county clerk and treasurer's offices are located in the same building as the district courts-- unlike Douglas County, where courts are situated in the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

Security booths are set up at the public and employee entrances, and the rest of the entrances are controlled by alarms, Shawnee financial administrator Trinket Harding said.

"We're in our third year of security stations. We used to have an all-night security guard with a firm," she said.

While Douglas County's concerns about security stem from the recent break-in, Shawnee County's stemmed from bomb threats.

Bill Bell, director of buildings and grounds, said he had been talking to a security firm about precautions for the courthouse.

"I'm getting some ideas together and will present them -- and their price tags -- to the commissioners," Bell said.

-- Deb Gruver's phone message number is 832-7165. Her e-mail address is dgruver@ljworld.com.