Bullet-resistant glass in the Greene County Attorney's Office

The Greene County Courthouse recently started implementing enhanced security measures.

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn says his office and the Clerk of Court’s Office now has bullet-resistant glass at each of the front counters. He says the bullet-resistant glass is part of a bigger overall project to make several security enhancements to the courthouse. The initial project was one of three recommendations to the County Board of Supervisors from the courthouse security committee. 

Laehn says there are two reasons that committee was formed. The first is ensure the safety and security of the courthouse employees as well as the public. He explains the second reason has to do with the sustainability of the courthouse, due to some recent discussions about possibly closing some county courthouses and combining services, such as court proceedings.

“We want to do everything possible to make sure that the Greene County Courthouse remains open. That when they look across the state and make the decisions about which courthouses to close they not only recognize the beauty and historical value of our courthouse here in Jefferson, but also recognize that we have the security measures in place to protect the public.”

According to Laehn, the cost of installing the bullet-resistant glass was $29,750 and the reason for targeting the two offices was based on feedback from department heads and the areas most likely to receive threats. The measure was previously approved by the Supervisors, along with installing security cameras and electronic key cards on the three outside entrances to the courthouse.