Private security hired in Wayne County courthouses amid deputy shortage
Wayne County hires private security officers for courthouses
Courtrooms in Wayne County currently lack at least one-third of the required deputies for full staffing, said Chief Judge Patricia Perez Fresard.
FOX 2 (WJBK) - With a shortage of deputies protecting Wayne County courthouses, the board of commissioners has turned to hiring private security guards.
Wayne County sheriffs' deputies are tasked with numerous responsibilities. Apart from their duties at the jail, they are also required to ensure security at various county courts.
Courtrooms in Wayne County currently lack at least one-third of the required deputies for full staffing, said Chief Judge Patricia Perez Fresard.
Under a new $4.9 million contract approved by the Wayne County Board of Commissioners, private and armed security guards from Allied Universal will fill approximately 50 vacant deputy positions starting Monday. The guards will be used in non-criminal courts.
"Some judges, for instance, in domestic, are locked into their courtrooms because they don’t have a deputy," Fresard said.
Judges need at least two deputies in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, where the criminal courts are run, the chief judge said. At least one other deputy is needed in the other courts.
"Everybody’s short around the country in law-enforcement," said Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington.
Even Washington agrees that there is a need for more sheriffs.
"Temporarily, (they’re) bringing in an agency to fill in some holes so the citizens can… feel comfortable and safe in our courts," Washington said.
Despite the sheriffs' union contract allowing for private security, there are some concerns surrounding the new deal with Allied Universal. The private deputies are being paid more than the sworn Wayne County sheriffs' deputies.
"I don’t need private security. I need sheriffs in our agencies," Washington said. "I want to hire as many people as I can, and we’re in the process of doing that every single day."
In fact, 17 new Wayne County deputies are graduating on Thursday.
The contract is only for one year, with an option to renew, but those in support of it say it will only temporarily fill the vacancies.
"We expect that within a year, and the contract is a year, that we will have sufficient deputies to cover the courtroom," Fresard said.