Lake Co. sheriff upset, ends belt policy

A new security measure at Lake County's five courthouses was criticized by Sheriff Mark Curran on Wednesday, and proved to be short-lived.

For a little more than a day, private security guards ordered visitors to the facilities to remove their belts before entering the building. The practice was halted Wednesday after Curran learned of the tactic, which he said was enacted without his approval.

"We don't have time for that," he said. "To me, it's creating problems."

The policy was enacted Tuesday by the Andy Frain Services guards who handle security at the courthouses, which are located in Waukegan, Park City, Mundelein, Round Lake and Vernon Township. The sheriff's office oversees security at the facilities.

Curran didn't know about the policy until a Daily Herald reporter called him Wednesday morning. He expressed outrage over the tactic.

"I'm a little bit (angry) that this was not run past me," he said. "It's not going to last."

Minutes later, sheriff Deputy Chief Wayne Hunter said the policy would end immediately.

"We've asked Andy Frain to reverse the policy," Hunter said. "While we appreciate (their) efforts, they need to give us a safe campus without making people take off their belts. And we think they can do that."

Authorities declined to say on the record what prompted the belt policy.

The main courthouse in Waukegan also is home to the county board offices, the county clerk, the state's attorney's office and other departments. Visitors to any of those offices were asked to remove their belts, not only people heading to court.

Men and women were subject to the belt policy. They were told to remove their belts and place them on a conveyor belt that passes through an X-ray machine.

Courthouse visitors long have been ordered to put wallets, keys, cellular phones, purses and other items on the conveyor belt for security review.

The extra security step did not cause any noticeable delays at the courthouse entrances, Hunter said, but that was a concern for the sheriff's office. Attorneys need to get to courtrooms on time, just as county employees need to get to their desks and jurors need to get to their assignments, he said.

"We're going to continue to do everything we can to keep the courthouse safe, but we want to do it without implementing ineffective or frivolous measures," Hunter said.