New Norfolk Courts

Instead of delaying funding for a new Court complex in Norfolk, the City should be putting in extra. If you have ever been in the court buildings, you would know why. When I went in for jury duty, I arrived right on time. At that time, we were asked to please wait.... while they walked the inmates past us, down the hallway to their respective places. I though to myself, "thats great, have all the inmates get a good look at all of the prospective jurors." But what about the judges? And the witnesses? They share these same halls. Also the security of these building is stuck in a past age. Sure there are metal detectors and wands, but do they work? Well, lets see. Last time I went to the General District Court Building for a traffic ticket, I go up to the metal detector. I empty my pockets of all my metal; keys, pen, over $3 in change, I even have a key chain made out of a spent bullet shell. I put all of my metal into the little container and hand it off to the deputy. Now at this point the deputy would normally carry my metal around the metal detector and then ask me to step through. Instead, the deputy pulled my container of metal right through the metal detector and it DID NOT GO OFF. An entire bucket of metal and there was not so much as a beep. Thats good, I thought, as I walked to my courtroom. Then, as I wait to go into my room, I walk past file cabinets full of court documents. Not fancy, special cabinets designed for security, but normal office cabinets. Sure they have a lock, but it is nowhere near the caliber that is warranted by contents that are meant to be secured.
Its glitches and failures such as these that drive home the need for an updated court complex. Our judges put in long hours of stressful work. They should not go in every day feeling in danger of becoming a victim of a desperate criminal.