Metal Detectors for Council Meetings Debut

The township debuted the use of metal-detecting devices for public Council meetings last Monday.

Call it a sign of the times.

Call it something for a little peace of mind.

Call it an invasion of privacy.

Call it what you will, but one thing is sure—opinions vary on the use of the metal detectors.

Some openly joked about the devices' use prior to the start of last Monday's meeting—"I'm glad I left my knife at home tonight," one man said, chuckling.

Some commended officials for putting the equipment in place.

Some were critical of the move.

Police Chief W. Harry Earle announced metal-detecting equipment—a walk-through machine similar to those used at courthouses and airports, as well as a handheld wand to be used on anyone who triggers the upright machine—would be in place for future Council meetings during a brief presentation at Council's April 25 meeting.

Earle cited the Jan. 8 shooting in Tuscon, AZ, that critically injured U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six people, including former Philadelphia Phillies manager Dallas Green's 9-year-old granddaughter and a federal judge.

"I don't think anyone should have to fear they could be harmed like the people in Arizona were," the police chief said at the time.

This week, Earle noted the implementation is part of an overall strategy to improve safety and security at township buildings. That strategy includes employee training and adding signage for emergency evacuations.

The use of metal-detecting equipment was not in response to a threat, or threats, Earle said.

The Arizona shooing "really was what decided it for us to look at meeting security," the chief said. "If it happened there, it really could happen anywhere."

Earle noted he received "a number of positive comments" about the metal detectors' use.

Tom Crone, a regular at Council meetings and executive director of conservative activism group South Jersey Citizens, was not one of those offering positive comments.

"The idea that one must submit to a search prior to attending a Council meeting is downright appalling," Crone said in an email. "It takes a certain level of arrogance to think you are that important. The administration is way off the mark on this one."

The New Jersey League of Municipalities (NJLM) currently does not have statistics available on the number of towns that subject those attending governing bodies' meetings to metal detectors, according to NJLM staff attorney Matthew Weng.

NJLM has not made a recommendation that municipalities use metal detectors for public meetings.

"Local officials have a better sense of the situation in their towns, and so does local law enforcement," Weng said. "Each town has its own character."

The township paid about $3,800 for the metal-detecting equipment to be used outside of Council chambers, Earle said.

The upright machine used in the courtroom is secured to the floor, Earle noted. He added that his department was already looking to add a portable machine for use at off-premise events involving dignitaries—he pointed to President Bill Clinton's visit to Camden County College in 2008.

Earle noted the part-time police officers who will man the metal detectors would have been assigned to Council meetings regardless of the new security measure.

Crone feels even the officers' presence is a bit much.

"I was at the township building today—no metal detectors. It is arbitrary and specious to have this faux show of force at council meetings," he said. "We already have armed guards patrolling the council chamber as it is. One must ask why. The actions of a madman will not be deterred by false bravado."