County judge amends order to have Commissioners pay for court security

The county’s judges are once again pushing for the Lorain County Commissioners to pay for security at Lorain County’s General Division.

Lorain County Common Pleas Court Administrative Judge Mark Betleski’s filed an amended order with the courts Oct. 3 asking for the county commissioners to appropriate $124,953 for security needs at the county’s adult probation department and presentence investigation unit from October to December.

According Betleski’s order, the commissioners have until Oct. 17 to appropriate the security funds.

Each court must have a court security plan, according to the Ohio Supreme Court’s Rules of Superintendence. But the county’s adult probation center and presentence investigation unit currently has no security at all.

The county’s former administrative judge, James Burge, and Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stamitti previously dispersed letters to the commissioners in July and August requesting $396,000 annually for security at both the adult probation department and the county Presentence Investiga- tion Unit.

Despite their requests for security at the two court locations, the commissioners have remained reluctant to provide funding, claiming that Burge acted outside his authority by ordering them to appropriate the funds and stating that Stamitti could use additional money in his general fund to provide security for the court buildings.

Stamitti countered the commissioners argument, stating that there is not enough money in his general fund to supply the adult probation center with the security staff and equipment needed.

Nevertheless, the commissioners asked the Ohio Supreme Court to allow them to abstain from paying for security at the court locations.

In response to that request, the Common Pleas Court filed a motion Sept. 26 asking that the Ohio Supreme Court dismiss the commissioners’ efforts.

Hoping that the commissioners will agree to the amended order filed by Betleski, Stamitti said the $124,953 will be used to supply the probation department with a probational deputy, intermittent deputy, screening wands, and a magnetometer to perform security checks for the rest of the year.