Is This Your Idea of Safe? That's Just Wrong, Page 29

Personally, I would call it the Lorain Keystone Cops version of safety.

Let's back up.  Recently, metal detectors have been set up inside the front doors of Lorain City Hall. 

From an online article from 19 Action News:

On the outside there isn't anything different at Lorain City Hall, but on the inside, an addition that not everyone feels happy about but that everyone should feel safer about.

You can get a look at the entire article here.   Seriously, feel safer about?  Not in the least.

And, according to an online Morning Journal article:

In addition to overall increased security, there was a second reason for the change in security features. According to Ritenauer, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur are negotiating leases to move their offices to Lorain City Hall.

Here is the entire Morning Journal article.
 
After my personal experience at Lorain City Hall on Monday, if safety is what you are looking for, then Senator Brown and Representative Kaptur, you need to keep looking because it was nowhere to be found here.

Monday, Ron and I went to the Lorain City Council meeting at City Hall.  There were a few issues we were interested in, which unfortunately ended up not getting resolved but instead sent to committee.  (Fair warning - I intend to show up at that committee meeting too.)  As for the new so-called security measures . . . 

I was appalled.  Yes there is a nice shiny metal detector at the front door complete with a man in uniform with a gun (To be honest, I never looked at what his uniform said.  He could be LPD, he could not be.  I don't know.) and a belt to move your items through an x-ray machine, just like at the airport.  Well, except for the back scratcher this uniformed man had to use to get your articles OUT of the x-ray machine.  And, that was the closest I saw him look at what was IN the x-ray machine because I never saw him look at the x-ray monitor once.

You see, Ron and I went to City Hall, but Ron had to run back to the car.  So, I went in, got through "security" and waited there for a few minutes for Ron to join me.  In that time, I watched "security" let one girl into the building, with her purse, withOUT going through the scanner or x-raying her purse.  I guess if you're young and cute, you must be ok so there was no need to look.  He told her to just go on ahead.

Then I saw TWO different men (one of them Ron!) set the buzzer off while going through the metal detector!  Ok, I know Ron and I know what kind of man he is.  I KNOW that what set off the metal detector was one of his cell phones that he didn't take off of his belt.  This "security" officer didn't know that though and he just waived Ron through.  I'm not sure if he ever even heard that beeping noise the machine made. Or else he had no clue as to what that beeping noise meant.

Ok, I'm vouching for Ron for whatever that is worth, but what about the other guy that ran through the metal detector while setting off the alarms?  The "security" officer was more interested in using the back scratcher to get the bucket with his stuff in it out of the x-ray machine.  Seriously dude.  In the two or three minutes I was standing there, I never did see him look up the monitor to see what was going through.  He was overwhelmed if more than one person walked in the door at the same time.  THIS is what you are calling safe?  This was a joke.

In the few minutes that I stood right next to the x-ray machine I saw at least THREE people that should have been looked at closer but were instead just told to go on ahead by "security".

The new procedure was implemented on a suggestion from the Ohio Supreme Court.  I guess the City of Lorain followed that suggestion.  They ARE scanning everyone walking through the door.  They're just not doing anything about what might be brought into City Hall.  People, That's Just Wrong.