April 11, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Although he will make a formal request later, DeKalb County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Brandon Cox has informed the budget committee that he has a plan for increased courthouse security.
Judge Cox made the suggestion last Monday, April 3 while presenting his budget requests for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
“I am going to ask for changes as far as courthouse security. We have a very open building. Its not the safest situation for anybody. I plan to ask that public access to the courthouse be limited to the first-floor entrance and that a full-time security position be funded with a metal detector to screen all persons entering the courthouse at all times when the courthouse is open. Key cards could be assigned to courthouse public officials and office personnel, attorneys, and judges for them to gain access through the other courthouse doors”, he said.
That issue will be discussed in more detail at a later budget committee meeting.
Meanwhile in his budget requests, Judge Cox has asked for an increase in pay for the Juvenile Court Youth Service Officer and a hike in the county’s appropriation for the DeKalb Recovery Court Program, much of which is grant funded.
Judge Cox said the youth service officer is already an important full-time position, but it will take on more responsibilities in the future.
“I hope to have our current youth service officer Richard Williams a while longer before he retires but for the next person who takes that position, I have set some new expectations including being a part time clerk, part time probation officer, part time on-call officer, part time advocate and full-time gatekeeper of the juvenile court. My expectation is for the youth service officer to be in the office each day from 8 to 4:30 p.m. although they will occasionally have to be out of the office for certain activities. Of course, they will be on call all the time,” said Judge Cox.
The current salary of the Juvenile Court Youth Service Officer is $42,360 a year.
The county currently budgets $46,700 per year in support of the DeKalb County Recovery Court. Judge Cox wants to increase that by $20,000 mostly to help meet increased costs for travel and contracted services.
Recovery Court, a 12-month program, provides an alternative to incarceration for eligible non-violent offenders, who are deemed substance dependent and who are seeking a life free of alcohol and drug abuse. Team members oversee the program locally in addition to Judge Cox and Recovery Court Coordinator Kate Arnold.
Judge Cox said the Recovery Court has proven successful and he would like to see it grow to serve more people in need.
“Our program is successful and one I take pride in. We are serving more participants than when I started but we don’t have a lot of resources locally, so we have to outsource them to help get people back on their feet. It’s not 100% successful but for those who do come in and graduate it can and has led to a change in not only their lives but in the lives of their children and families. We have had some participants come through and see their mother, father and other relatives get clean and sober. It has a far-reaching impact and I believe that dollar for dollar it is well worth spending in the community. My goal is to expand this program to reach as many people as possible,” said Judge Cox.