N.Y. shooting raises issue of metal detectors

Ed Koch and Erica D. Johnson

Friday, July 25, 2003 | 11:26 a.m.

Wednesday's fatal shooting at New York's City Hall has officials in the Las Vegas Valley talking about whether metal detectors should be used to screen people entering area city halls, but only one of the valley's three cities may adopt the practice.

There are no plans to add metal detectors at Las Vegas City Hall, city officials said Thursday.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said he sees no need for tighter security measures.

"I feel very secure," said Goodman, who early in his first term was assigned two city marshals to accompany him on city business, but no longer uses that service.

Goodman said city officials and the marshals constantly review safety procedures. He said that even with tight precautions, it is difficult to stop "a violent person" bent on hurting someone.

New York's City Hall had metal detectors, but city council members were allowed to walk around them, as were people who accompanied them. That's how the gun used in Wednesday's killing was carried into the building.

Like Goodman, North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon said he sees no need for metal detectors at the North Las Vegas City Hall.

But Henderson City Councilman Steven Kirk said that in light of the shooting in New York, the Henderson council should discuss putting metal detectors in Henderson City Hall.

City Manager Phil Speight said there has been some discussion of installing metal detectors at the entrance to Council Chambers as part of the ongoing City Hall addition and renovation project.

But he said no decision has been made, and noted that the metal detectors at New York's City Hall weren't a deterrent.

Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers predicted Henderson will have metal detectors somewhere in City Hall once the renovation project is finished, and added that the new security measures were being discussed before the New York shooting.

"People get disgruntled sometimes and you never know what they're going to do," Cyphers said.

Everyone who enters the George Federal Building must pass through metal detectors except for U.S. Marshals, who have an office on the second floor. All entrances are manned by security officials.

But officials at most Clark County Courthouses say they have not made any immediate plans to make any changes that would require employees to pass through metal detectors.

Clark County employees are not required to pass through metal detectors at the District Courthouse in downtown Las Vegas, which also houses Las Vegas Justice Court.

Those employees gain entrance into the court by swiping their employee badges. All other visitors to the court must pass through metal detectors.

Employees at North Las Vegas Justice Court are also not required to pass through metal detectors. As of this morning, there had been no plans to change that policy, Nick Toscano, deputy sheriff bailiff at the court said.

North Las Vegas Justice Court is a small court with four full-time officers, he said. He said the court has never had a problem with violence among court employees.

"We're pretty observant," he said. "There's some trust involved here."

Sgt. Edna Yvonne Roberts, lead bailiff at the North Las Vegas Municipal Court, said court employees and officers of the court are not required to pass through metal detectors at that court either.

Roberts said she doesn't think officers should have to search court employees who are in good standing with the court.

"We deal with the same employees each week," she said. "At this point we haven't had to institute a policy where we have to search them. But who knows what the future will bring."