With the spotlight on the security operations of area courthouses following the deadly shooting at the Berrien County Courthouse last month, leaders with Cass County are continuing to eye ways to ensure such a tragedy does not befall its own center of law and justice.

According to Undersheriff Richard Behnke, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office will request funding from the county board for additional courthouse staffing levels during the commissioners meeting Thursday. The measure, contained within the office’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, will continue to pay for the additional man-hours for the beefed up security presence that has been in place at the courthouse since the incident in St. Joseph.

The deadly shooting at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph occurred on July 11, after an inmate, Larry Gordon, seized a gun from one of the deputies while being taken in for a hearing before the judge.

The man then shot and killed two officers, Joe Zangaro and Ron Kienzle, and injured another while attempting to escape the courthouse before responding officers shot Gordon to death.

Last week, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners voted to add an additional uniformed officer at its two courthouses in St. Joseph and Niles in response to the incident.

Cass County leaders also quickly responded to the shooting. Undersheriff Behnke and other officials with the county convened in the days following the attack to discuss what they could do to improve security at the Cassopolis courthouse. One of the measures they implemented was increasing the staffing levels at the courthouse, Behnke said.

According to the undersheriff, Cass County already had several systems in place to ensure that inmates cannot easily attack officers or other courthouse staff or visitors, such as belly chains or leg irons, Behnke said.

“High risk inmates always have additional security precautions,” Behnke said. “We have had them in place for as far back as I can remember.”

Courthouse security has long been a major priority for Cass County officers, especially since the move to the Law and Courts Building in 2004. In fact, the county was among the first in the region to implement gated metal detectors and package scanners at the front of the courthouse, Behnke said.

“We use the same systems that are used at airports in order to make the building as secure as possible,” Behnke said.

The sheriff’s office has been in talks since the spring to bring incorporate added technology and automation to courthouse security, the undersheriff said. While he could not disclose details of such plans due to security concerns, Behnke said these proposed devices would improve the speed with which officers could react to security issues that may occur.

“It will make it easier for officers to quickly respond to any situations that may occur in the future,” Behnke said.

The sheriff’s office is also planning to have their security operations audited next month in order to generate additional ideas for improvements, Behnke said.