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Downtown's County Center would get funds for metal detectors and screening equipment.
By BILL VARIAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 16, 2001
Visitors to County Center in downtown Tampa may soon have to pass through metal detectors to pay taxes or attend a commission meeting.
Hillsborough Administrator Dan Kleman has asked for nearly $137,000 in federal money to install metal detectors and equipment to screen bags and packages at the 26-story building.
The proposal was outlined in a letter to U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, who called Kleman two weeks ago to seek suggestions for enhancing local security. Kleman said, however, that no decisions have been made about whether to acquire the equipment.
"It's something we're continuing to look at," Kleman said.
Diane Pratt-Heavner, Davis' press secretary, said he has called several community leaders to solicit suggestions on how Congress can help local communities respond to security issues in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
"He wants to see if there's going to be a new role for the federal government in helping the local community meet its needs," Pratt-Heavner said.
Kleman's proposal, written last week, includes a cost estimate for two magnetometers (metal detectors) and two X-ray scanners, one of each for both main entrances to County Center. The letter also includes an estimate for an additional scanner for large packages brought in through the loading dock.
The county administrator has scheduled private meetings with each commissioner this week to discuss security concerns. Their reactions to the screening equipment proposal were mixed.
Commission Chairwoman Pat Frank said she wants to know how much security would be improved and whether that's worth the expenditure. The machines would also have to be staffed.
"I want to know what percentage of coverage would he anticipate that would take care of," she said. "What sort of loopholes are left and what sort of provisions would be considered for them?"
Commissioner Stacey Easterling, a former prosecutor who has raised security concerns about County Center before Sept. 11, said the machines are overdue. She has also requested that when commissioners meet Wednesday they discuss mail room protocol in the wake of the recent anthrax scares.
"I support any efforts to make it a more secure building by having more secure access to the building," she said. "Just because we're not putting people in prison doesn't mean we're not stirring up the ire of people out there."