Judge gets $41K grant for security

CELINA - Municipal Court Judge Kathryn Speelman has snagged a $41,468 Ohio Supreme Court grant to cover most of the cost to equip her courtroom with metal detectors and a screening unit.

"The security equipment is covered for the most part by this grant. There might be a couple thousand dollars or so of installation," mayor Jeff Hazel said.

Celina City Council members recently approved legislation to accept the state technology grant and establish a new account to deposit the dollars. Councilors suspended the rules requiring three public readings and passed the ordinance as an emergency measure.

The Ohio Supreme Court has a program to provide financial support to local courts for technology improvement and security projects. No matching funds are required, meaning the grant would cover the entire cost of the project.

"She applied for that and at the same time not knowing if she was going to get that, we did appropriate $41,000 out of her special projects fund," Hazel said. "Well, she did get the grant. It came in. We're very, very pleased with that."

The initial $41,000 earmarked in the budget will now be used to replace a worn down vehicle used by the court's probation officers, Hazel said.

"It had repairs that it needed that reportedly were more than what the car was worth - I think blown head gaskets and some things like that," he said.

Celina Municipal Court, which has countywide jurisdiction, is one of of the few such courts in the state not to have security equipment in place, Hazel pointed out.

     Asked when the equipment will be installed, Hazel said "sooner than later."'

"They're not in but it is underway with all the ordering of the metal detectors and everything," he said.

Councilors in February approved legislation authorizing Speelman to apply for the grant. Project specifics were scant as councilors had met in an executive session to discuss details relative to security arrangements and emergency-response protocols for a public body or public office.

"I think whatever we can do to improve our courts, at least the security in the our courts, and especially the ability to get funding for all of these projects that we'd like to do at the courts and without matching it, I think this is just a no-brainer for us to go ahead and push this through," councilman Eric Clausen said at the time.

Speelman in October had said the court's lack of security measures poses both a burden and a threat to the local judiciary.