(A) Identification. All county employees shall be issued an identification badge that shall include the employee’s picture. State employees whose offices are located with in the County Courthouse shall also be issued Howard County ID badges. Employees are to wear their ID badge at all times while in the Courthouse. Employee shall not wear their ID badges outside the Courthouse. Lost or stolen badges must be reported to security immediately, and there is a $10 fee for replacement of lost or stolen badges.
(B) Employee entrance to the Courthouse. All employees who have been provided with an ID badge, properly coded for entrance to the Courthouse, who enter through the west employee door, must swipe their badge at the entrance card reader (ECR), even if the door is already open. Employees entering through the east door must follow the same process as frequent visitors, as described below, including swiping their ID badge at the ECR, and are subject to security screening.
(C) Employee exit from the Courthouse. All employees, when leaving for the day, using the west door, must swipe their ID badge at the exit card reader (XCR), even if the door is already open. Employees may leave through the east door during the day, swiping their ID badge at the XCR.
(D) Visitor entrance to the Courthouse. All visitors shall enter only through the east door and must pass through security.
(E) Frequent visitor passes. Certain frequent visitors may be issued frequent visitor passes (FVP). Frequent visitors must use the east entrance and swipe their FVP at the entrance card reader station. The card reader station shall be equipped with a green and red light system. Once the FVP is read and a green light is displayed, the visitor may bypass security. If the system displays a red light, the visitor must go through security, including X-Ray and magnetometer. Any person entering through the east door shall be subject to security screening, at the sole discretion of the security officers. Lost or stolen passes must be reported immediately to security.
(F) Visitor exit from the Courthouse. All visitors shall exit through the east door only. Frequent visitors shall swipe their FVP at the exit card reader when exiting.
(G) Requirements for frequent visitors. Individuals who wish to be considered a frequent visitor and obtain a FVP must apply at the Courthouse security office. The application for a FVP will be reviewed by the Security Committee prior to issuing a pass. The Security Committee may revoke a FVP at any time at its sole discretion. There shall be a $50 fee for a FVP, payable to Howard County. There is a $10 fee for replacing lost or stolen badges.
(H) Restricted items, masks and disruptive conduct.
(1) Weapons. Except as provided in division (I), weapons are prohibited in the Courthouse. WEAPONS include firearms; knives; tasers and stun guns; clubs; explosives; hazardous materials; toxic chemicals; signs, posters or placards larger than ten inches by 15 inches excepting court exhibits; or any other item or instrument deemed by security officers to present an immediate threat to the safety and security of the Courthouse.
(2) Masks. Facial coverings that hide a person’s identity (excepting medical devices used for bona fide medical reasons which can be removed to allow identification) are prohibited in the Courthouse.
(3) Disruptive conduct. Disruptive conduct is prohibited in the Courthouse; and any person engaging in disruptive conduct is subject to removal from the Courthouse by security officers. Disruptive conduct includes any actions, noises or sounds which, in the judgment of security officers, is disrupting or interfering with the normal course of judicial and administrative business conducted in the Courthouse. Provided, however, recognizing that the first floor rotunda is a public forum, security officers will make every reasonable effort to balance the public’s right to assemble in the rotunda with the decorum necessary to effectively operate the Howard County judicial system.
(I) Exceptions to restricted items. On-duty law enforcement and Courthouse security officers shall be allowed to carry their weapons while on official business in the Courthouse. Law enforcement officers (Police Officer, Sheriff and deputies, Town Marshal and deputies, Conservation Officers, State Excise Officers, any Federal Enforcement Officer, as defined by I.C. 35-41-1-17(b)) must sign in at the security office. Law enforcement officers who are off-duty or involved in a civil case shall place their weapons in the weapons lockers in the security office.
(J) Violations and sanctions.
(1) County employees. These rules are hereby added to the work rule violations set forth in Section 6.12.2 of the Howard County Employee
Handbook. Thus, any county employee violating these rules shall be subject to discipline under Section 6.12.1 of the Handbook, up to and including termination from employment.
(2) Non-county employees. Any other person violating these rules shall be subject to fines of up to $2,500 in accordance with § 10.99 of the Code of Howard County.
(3) Confiscation of passes. In addition to the sanctions set forth in (1) and (2) above, security officers are hereby empowered to confiscate and deactivate the pass of any employee or frequent visitor who has violated this section or any rules or procedures established by the Security Committee pursuant to this section.
(Ord. BCC-2007-30, passed 7-2-07; Am. Ord. BCC-2007-34, passed 8-6-07; Am. Ord. BCC-2009-14, passed 4-20-09; Am. Ord. 2013-BCCO-2, passed 2-4-13)