ELYRIA — A controversial policy that bars police officers not assigned to courthouse security from bringing their guns into the Lorain County Justice Center has been scrapped.

A new policy that went into effect Wednesday now allows uniformed police officers entering the building on official business to continue to carry their firearms. It also allows plainclothes investigators working for county Prosecutor Dennis Will to carry guns, as well, as long as they’re wearing a special lanyard with their employee ID on it.

The move doesn’t sit well with all of the county’s judges, who have limited the guns to county sheriff’s deputies assigned to the Justice Center since the building opened in 2004.

Administrative Judge Edward Zaleski said he will continue to enforce the ban in his courtroom.
“I don’t even want them in the courthouse,” he said.

But while the judges have the final say over what happens in their courtrooms, Sheriff Phil Stammitti is in control of security throughout the rest of the Justice Center, said Presiding Judge Mark Betleski, who chairs a committee that reviews security issues in the building and signed off on the new policy.

Betleski said he supports the new policy and will likely allow police officers to carry weapons into his courtroom as long as they follow some rules.

“I don’t believe, personally, I’m going to ban guns in my courtroom,” he said.

Under the policy, Betleski’s bailiff, Dave Rakich, and Joe Palmer, bailiff for Family Court Judge Debra Boros, would be allowed to carry guns as well because they are retired police officers. Both Betleski and Boros, who also support the change, said their bailiffs will likely remain unarmed.

Common Pleas Judge James Miraldi said he wasn’t pleased to learn that the policy had been implemented without further input from the judges. He said he didn’t even know armed police officers were in the building until asked about the issue by The Chronicle-Telegram.

He said studies he’s read suggest it’s safer if only courthouse security are armed.

“Having guns in the courthouse only increases the risk of someone getting hurt,” he said.

But sheriff’s Capt. Rich Resendez said the policy will make the building safer because there will be more armed officers available to deal with a problem.

“That will mean additional backup,” he said.

Elyria police Chief Michael Medders, who, along with other county police chiefs, has pushed for an end to the ban, said he believes the new policy will mean more trained, uniformed officers in the Justice Center and make the building safer.
“I think it’s a better situation,” he said.

Family Court Judge David Basinski, who was a strong supporter of barring the police from carrying guns in the Justice Center, said he has yet to decide whether he’ll allow guns in his courtroom. He said that while he respected the review process that led to the change, he was concerned that it was implemented Wednesday with only a day’s notice.

He said he still recalls an incident several years ago when a police officer showed up for his divorce hearing at the old County Courthouse wearing his full uniform, including his duty weapon. Basinski said he had his bailiff take the officer to his car and disarm himself.

Under the new policy, Resendez said, police officers who come to the Justice Center on personal business will still have to be unarmed. The policy requires that officers who want to keep their guns show a valid subpoena or tell deputies manning magnetometers at front doors where they’re going in the building.

Zaleski questions whether that will be effective. He said it’s easy for someone to obtain a gun, a badge and a police uniform and simply walk in.

“They’re asking for trouble,” he said.

While the new weapons policy went into effect Wednesday, officers will be barred from carrying guns into the courtrooms until later this month when the individual judges decide on their personal policies.

Judges David Berta, James Burge, Raymond Ewers, Christopher Rothgery and James Walther said they will likely allow armed officers in their courtrooms.

Walther said he was originally opposed to the policy, because the Ohio Supreme Court only allows its own security team to be armed in its building in Columbus, but he believes what is being implemented can work.

“I’m happy with the compromise,” he said.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

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