STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — Stevens Point and Plover officials are working on improving security for their municipal court sessions.
Right now, the court is held three times monthly at Stevens Point’s City Hall. Judge Michael McKenna says the court does not have an armed, or even uniformed, bailiff right now, and he’s been looking for a solution to that since he took the bench in 2014.
“I do want to ensure that there is a safe and secure environment in which to hold our court, not just for staff and the judge, but mostly for the citizens and the participants,” said McKenna.
Judge McKenna understands that both the Stevens Point and Plover Police Departments can’t afford to task a full-time officer with bailiff duty, which was expressed by both Plover Police Chief Dan Ault and Stevens Point Assistant Chief Tom Zenner.
He said, “The police departments are very strapped in these trying current days, but I’m pleased with the response I’ve received from the committee and the departments today that we’re going to look at exploring the options of getting some results here.”
Another hurdle is the room the court is held in, which is meant to be the City Conference Room. Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza says it’s not designed to be a courtroom, and thus it’s not as simple to secure as a courtroom.
One option presented was moving the time of the court to 4 p.m. to place the court officer on duty in the court with one hour of overtime, but McKenna resisted that idea, saying the court is held in the early evening to accomodate working people outside of normal business hours.
The Joint Municipal Court Oversight Committee agreed that a dispatch radio will be kept in the court at all times going forward, and the job description for a part-time bailiff will be created and posted within the next 30 days.
