Shoshone County courthouse will restrict side door to handicap access after shooting

Security changes will restrict the side entrance of the Shoshone County Courthouse in Wallace to handicap access only, a move county leaders say will concentrate visitor flow through the front door and improve building security after a shooting at the county sheriff's office on Dec. 26.

Commissioner Dave Dose said a committee made up of all elected officials and department heads who work inside the courthouse formed after the incident and carried out a security assessment that generated the recommended changes. The Shoshone County Board of Commissioners had previously approved a measure requiring all courthouse personnel to wear county-issued ID badges while working inside the building. At the Jan. 23 meeting the board approved another safety measure that may alter how some people enter the courthouse.

“They would like to recommend, for security purposes and based on the security assessment of the building, that we immediately start to close the side door to the courthouse and make it handicap access only,” Dose said. “And just utilize the front door as a way of limiting and focusing the traffic, which they think will make the building more secure.”

County officials identified the courthouse side door as a particular vulnerability because it provides direct access to both the Shoshone County Treasurer's and Assessor's offices and is not within the direct view of the courthouse first-floor security station. Under the new arrangement the side entry will remain available for wheelchair access but will be locked from the outside. Visitors using the side door will be required to press a buzzer to alert someone inside the courthouse to unlock the door.

Shoshone County Prosecutor Ben Allen volunteered to draft the formal policy to ensure the updated safety measures comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The board will sign the policy once it is complete. County officials say additional security measures may be considered as they continue to assess courthouse needs.

For Wallace residents and regular courthouse visitors the changes are immediate and practical. People requiring accessible entry should expect to press the buzzer and wait for staff to unlock the side door, while other visitors will be directed to the front entrance where access can be more easily monitored. County employees must display county-issued ID badges while inside, a step officials already adopted to make internal access clearer and enforcement simpler.

The policy shift highlights the balance local officials are trying to strike between public access and safety in a small county courthouse. Expect the board to finalize the written policy soon and for officials to announce any further security steps as they assess effectiveness and compliance with disability access requirements.