DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – Security upgrades, including mirrors and new cameras, are being installed in and around the Darlington County Courthouse.
County administrator Terrance Arrington said much of the construction on the outside of the building was needed after a truck hit the building a few months ago. Unfortunately that impact exposed several older ceiling tiles in the building, some of which may have contained asbestos.
Workers have been doing their best to remove the affected areas and now all of the tiles have been removed.
“There is no longer any threat to the public,” Arrington said of the asbestos risk.
In addition to the construction, the county is making updates to security both inside and outside the building. Officials say these updates are needed both in response to the truck impact as well as an inmate who escaped the building after being sentenced on drug charges.
“We’re purchasing several brand new security cameras,” Arrington said. These cameras will be placed at different areas around the building.
Mirrors have also been installed around the inside of the courthouse, in addition to the armed guard and metal detector already posted inside.
Arrington said that only one of the four possible entrances to the building is now in use. The others now remain locked and signs direct the public to the one open entrance. He said this change was to make it easier for the guard inside to keep an eye on the building.
Arrington said other safety upgrades are set to be made to the courthouse, but didn’t want to elaborate for security reasons. The new cameras, he said, should be in place within the next month.
