By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When Tom Chidester took the job as chief constable for the Wood County Courthouse 21 years ago, he had a tall order to fill. The Supreme Court order requiring courthouses to be made secure meant some unpopular decisions.
But as he prepares to retire at the end of March, Chidester can sit back and rattle off the threats over the years that were stopped before they entered the courtrooms. In addition to standards knives and guns, there was a sword hidden in a cane, mace, plus knives hidden in phones and wallets. Oh, and then there was the six-pack of beer in a backpack.
When Chidester, a former trooper with the Ohio Highway Patrol, took the job in 1996 there was little courthouse security in place. There were no metal detectors, no court security staff to keep an eye during emotionally charged trials.
But there were orders in place that courthouses around the country were expected to obey.
One of the biggest problems at the historic Wood County Courthouse was the number of building entrances that would need to be staffed. So county officials took the bold move of closing down all but one entrance. And former Wood County Commissioner Alvie Perkins came up with the idea for the atrium that would connect the courthouse and the county office building, which houses one of the common pleas courtrooms.
“The elected officials were kind of divided on how the public would react,” Chidester recalled. “They went through many public meetings.”
In December of 2005, the atrium opened and security measures went into place. There was some grumbling about just one entrance and about people needing to pass through a metal detector – but that all seems second nature now to those who use the courthouse.
Chidester worked on meeting all 12 standards for courthouse safety, including such additions as cameras in courtrooms, panic buttons, limited access, metal detectors, X-ray machines and properly trained personnel.
“I built it up slowly over the years,” he said, often able to get grants to pay for some of the expenses. “We were one of the first courts that met the standards.”
Chidester was on a team that helped other courthouses meet the security challenges. “Most courts didn’t meet any of the standards.”
Wood County’s court security now has four full-time and nine part-time officers. They scan people as they enter the courthouse complex and are posted in all criminal trials. The most common weapons confiscated at the entrance are knives. “A lot of farmers have them, and we give them back,” as they leave the courthouse, Chidester said.
Chidester remembers those days of never being sure if someone in the courtroom was armed with some type of weapon. “You always wondered if people had something on them.”
The court security staff also takes adult probation clients into custody if they test positive for drugs or alcohol.
The security staff is trained to “simmer down” emotions as they run high during trials, Chidester said.
There have been potentially charged incidents – like when the mother felt a judge was being too harsh on her son, so she hit an officer on the side of the head with her keys, or when another woman threw a chair over the third floor staircase.
“We’ve had several incidents where things have erupted,” he said. “But we’ve had no major incidents since I’ve been here.”
There are a couple murder cases that Chidester won’t ever forget. The most unusual involved a couple who used a new shovel to kill a man, then returned the shovel to WalMart, with the blood still on it. The pair would leave messages to each other in the courthouse holding cell, using their handcuffs to scratch “love notes” on the wall. Those notes later became evidence.
The toughest cases for security staff are often the domestic violence trials, Chidester said.
“Those are very hard in the courtroom. The emotions are high and we’ve got to keep the families separated.”
Chidester leaves the job knowing the courthouse is more secure than when he arrived.
“It was a struggle when I started, but I’m real proud of the program now.”
But he also knows that no security operation is perfect.
“No matter how solid your program is, there’s always something that can get through,” he said.
Chidester, who lives near Perrysburg, has big plans in his retirement to spend time with his grandchildren, go on cruises with his wife, and do substitute teaching.
“I definitely won’t go full-time,” he said. “I plan on enjoying life.”
