WALLACE – Security changes are coming to the Shoshone County Courthouse following last month’s shooting at the county sheriff’s office. 

According to Commissioner Dave Dose, after the Dec. 26 incident, a committee made up of all elected officials and department heads who work inside the courthouse was formed to discuss ways to increase security while maintaining accessibility to the building. 

A security assessment of the courthouse was conducted in the aftermath of the shooting, prompting many of the ideas the committee later presented to the commissioners. 

Previously, the board approved a measure requiring all courthouse personnel to wear county-issued ID badges while working inside the building. 

On Thursday morning, the board approved another safety measure that may change how some people enter the courthouse. 

Dose told the board that the courthouse’s side door was among the committee’s top concerns because it provides direct access to both the Shoshone County Treasurer’s and Assessor’s offices and is not within the direct view of the courthouse’s first-floor security station. 

“They would like to recommend, for security purposes and based on the security assessment of the building, that we immediately start to close the side door to the courthouse and make it handicap access only,” Dose said. “And just utilize the front door as a way of limiting and focusing the traffic, which they think will make the building more secure.” 

Under the changes, the side entry will remain available for wheelchair access but will be locked from the outside. Anyone using it will need to press a buzzer, alerting someone inside the courthouse to unlock the door. 

Shoshone County Prosecutor Ben Allen volunteered to draft the policy to ensure the updated safety measures comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The board will sign the policy once it is ready to be enacted.  

According to the board, more security measures may be on the way, but they’re hoping to address any additional concerns as they come up.