A legislator from Maquoketa — the site of a courthouse shooting this fall — says security measures at Iowa’s county courthouses should be a shared responsibility between state and county governments.
That’s Senator Tod Bowman, a Democrat from Maquoketa who is also a high school teacher. Two of his students had been at the Jackson County Courthouse shortly before the September 9th shooting there. Another student had a parent in the room where the shooting occurred — and then their school was locked down as a precaution.
A man upset over his property tax bill went to a Jackson County Board of Supervisors meeting in September, pulled a handgun out of his briefcase and shot at the county assessor, but missed. The man was tackled and during a struggle a second shot was fired, killing the shooter. Entry into the Jackson County Courthouse is now restricted to one door and a sheriff’s deputy searches any briefcases or purses being brought into the building.
Representative Gary Worthan, a Republican from Storm Lake, says it’ll be tough to find extra money in the state budget.
Worthan is chairman of the House subcommittee that writes the budget for the state’s court system.
