Cayuga County adding bag scanner, metal detector at office building

The Cayuga County Office Building.

With the addition of new equipment in the coming weeks, Cayuga County will bolster security at its office building in Auburn.

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck informed the county Legislature's Judicial and Public Safety Committee this week that a new bag scanner has arrived. They are waiting on the delivery of a metal detector. Schenck did not have a timetable for when that will be delivered, but expects it to be at least a few weeks.

The bag scanner and metal detector will be placed inside the building's main entrance. Cayuga County Legislature Chairman David Gould told The Citizen that there have been conversations about how to increase the building's security.

"We've been thinking about it for quite a while," he said. "For the safety of the building, the safety of the employees and the public that comes in and out of here."

Anyone who enters the building will be required to pass through the metal detector. If they have bags, they will be scanned.

Gould compared it to the setup at the Cayuga County Courthouse. When you enter the courthouse, you must pass through a metal detector and bags are scanned.

There weren't any incidents that led to the decision. Gould, a longtime law enforcement officer who served three terms as sheriff, noted that it's not just about the security of employees who work in the building. He considers it a safety measure for visitors, too.

"We live in a different world than we did 20 years ago or 10 years ago," he said.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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