The Rhea County Courthouse needs security modifications.DAYTON, Tenn. – Security concerns at the Rhea County Courthouse are a worry for county officials if the jail is expanded in its current location.
“Security is an issue” for officials and the general public when inmates are escorted from the jail into the courthouse across the street, county Attorney General Mike Taylor repeatedly said during recent meetings of the Rhea County Jail Committee.
Reserve Officer B.J. McCoy said that “sometimes 20 or more” inmates are escorted at one time.
As the inmates are moved, family members of the inmates or victims and pedestrians in the street create risks of potential harm and liability for the county if a security breach occurs, officials said.
McCoy said the courthouse, built in 1891, was “architecturally not conducive to security necessary” for all the traffic inside it. At times, the General Sessions Court on the first floor, Circuit Court on the second floor and Family Court on the third floor “can have activity” with crowds in the courtrooms and stairwells, he said.