Grand Traverse County reviews security after concerns prompt contract rethink

Grand Traverse County commissioners awarded a three-year security contract for the Hall of Justice and the historic courthouse to Allied Universal on June 17, then sent Governmental Center security back for further review. Parks and Facilities Director John Chase said the change was driven by management turnover and poor performance by the current provider.

The split matters because the county’s main public buildings serve different daily functions and different levels of risk. The Robert P. Griffin Hall of Justice already has monitored entry, with the county’s Courthouse Security & Parking page saying its entrance is watched by security personnel and equipment. The historic courthouse, listed by the county at 328 Washington Street in Traverse City, is part of the same security footprint, while the Governmental Center remains under a separate review.

That review followed public concern raised in February 2024, when county and city employees said the Governmental Center’s open-format first floor allowed unfettered access to staff and lacked guards, metal detectors or other security. Commissioners then voted to direct staff to bring back options for installing a security officer at the building, a sign that access control had become a practical problem, not just an administrative one.

The courthouse system also sits within a formal court-security framework. Grand Traverse County courts established a courthouse security committee in 2023 under Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 2019-01, which requires each chief judge to establish a standing courthouse security committee. The order says courthouse security is vital to protect the public, litigants and judicial employees, and the county’s local administrative order was issued in line with that requirement.

The budget side is moving alongside the safety review. A public-contract listing shows the Board awarded a three-year, $1.17 million security services contract to STT Security for county facilities effective July 1, 2026. Taken together with the Allied Universal award, the county’s actions show a broader reworking of who secures which buildings, what services are covered and how much taxpayers will pay to keep county offices and court sites open and controlled.