Craig Daily Press

Craig — Earlier this month, a host of Moffat County officials met to discuss a familiar topic — improved security measures at the Moffat County Court­house.

This time, however, the meeting ended on a different note, and actual positive change may be in the works.

The Moffat County Commission indicated it would pursue grant opportunities for bolstering security at the courthouse, which has little in the ways of safety measures in place to deter violent crime.

A commissioner also said that, if grant opportunities aren’t approved for Moffat County this year, county officials would continue pursuing other possible funding sources.

The Editorial Board is relieved the county has gotten on board with what some within the courthouse have contended all along that a building with no metal detectors, permanent security staff and multiple points of entrance and exit is a risk to the employees working there and the public conducting its business.

The county courthouse is one of the few left to not have security measures in place.

To date, there haven’t been any violent episodes at the courthouse to call for increased security, but there’s always a first time.

The courthouse is a building where emotions sometimes run high, and not putting security measures in place is begging for someone with a potential emotional problem to do something rash, especially within the court system.

But, by then, the lesson has been learned. By then, it’s also too late.

The county is seeking grant funds for staffing, equipment such as detector wands and materials to limit access in other parts of the building. It has standing metal detectors, donated to the county several years ago.

The county’s plan would be to install security measures on the courthouse’s third floor, where Moffat County Court and Moffat County District Court hold session.

Its reason for securing the third floor and not the other parts of the building is that officials don’t want to limit public access to other offices within the courthouse.

And perhaps the county is right. Perhaps the only floor in need of protection is the third. Perhaps the public needs free-reign access to the building and adding simple security measures is an unnecessary burden.

Then again, spending a little extra money to safeguard the other two floors seems like an awfully small price to pay for the safety of everyone in the building.