February 12, 2014 at 1:45 p.m.
Officials to review emergency procedures, strengthen security following bomb scare
Officials to review emergency procedures, strengthen security following bomb scare
In the wake of Monday's events, officials are scheduled to meet Thursday to review how county employees responded to the unattended bag and how well the evacuation played out.
Oneida County Human Resources Director LisaCharbarneau said county leaders would be part of the review, including members of law enforcement. The meeting, she said, would examine what happened and what needs to be clarified or tweaked.
"There's not enough clarification, I don't believe, in how the situation was handled (Monday), and we certainly want to make sure that employees know what to do," Charbarneau said. "We're going to take this opportunity to review what is necessary to get this information disseminated out to employees."
Some employees and officials have raised questions about why there was a four-hour delay from when a social services worker noticed the bag to when courthouse security officers were first notified of the situation.
According to Ken Kortenhof, the county's emergency management director, the courthouse does have written plans for situations when employees' safety might be threatened and how evacuations are to occur. The county has an evacuation plan for the courthouse, he said, which identifies a nearby building where employees are supposed to move to. Kortenhof said he believed that nearby site was not used on Monday because county officials decided to let employees go home for the day.
But those plans principally specify the procedures that officials are to take once an emergency or threat has been identified.
Charbarneau said she was unaware of any countywide policies for how and when employees should respond when they encounter an unattended bag or identify something suspicious or threatening.
Charbarneau said she did not know whether the Department of Social Services had any internal policies to that effect.
Mary Rideout, interim director of the social services department, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon as to whether social services has any security protocols for staff. She declined an interview request earlier in the day.
Security to be strengthened
LuAnn Brunette, the county's buildings and grounds director, would not reveal whether the location of the courthouse where the bag was located contained a security camera, and whether the courthouse has any security cameras at all. She said she was concerned about releasing information that could help someone commit a crime in the building.
But Brunette did say that her office has been working to update and expand courthouse security measures, including surveillance equipment.
"We have had monies approved to spend on bolstering different aspects of courthouse security, and video surveillance is one of those aspects," Brunette said.
She said she hoped the additional security measures would be expanded by the end of the year.
Jonathan Anderson may be reached at [email protected]
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