PROJECT: New Mexico Statewide Court Security Assessment and Development of Strategic Plan,Santa Fe, New Mexico

Doña Anna County Courthouse, Las Cruces, New Mexico. An exemplary renovation of an historic high school into a fully functional District (trial) Courthouse.

Housed in a wide variety of buildings, the district and magistrate courts of New Mexico serve communities ranging from several hundred residents of rural counties and metropolitan areas such as Albuquerque. Security services and provisions in most district courts are minimal; even less in the magistrate courts; and non-existent in the Supreme Court Building. The Supreme Court of New Mexico named the Statewide Court Security Team and the Administrative Office of the Courts coordinated this project and awarded it to LSC. Assessing security statewide by means of a site survey of fifteen courts and a mail survey of 600 users of the entire system, we developed a strategic plan to implement security and facility improvements with two parts:

low-cost measures which could readily be implemented and achieve significant results,

and a program of long term measures which might require legislative approval and funding.

SERVICES: Under contract with the AOC, Mr. Siegel formed and led a three person consultant team including two colleagues with long experience in court administration and security, and in state and local government initiatives. He developed the project plan and led the team in conducting the on-site survey, the mail survey, analyzing the data, preparing the project reports, and presenting the results to the AOC, courts, and public.

DATE: 1998 - 1999

REFERENCE: Robert. J Klein, Management Specialist, Administrative Office of the Courts, 237 Don Gaspar, Room 25 Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505 827 4808

RESPONSIBILITIES: Contracted for the project, assembled the team, and led the project, carrying out activities in each aspect of the work.

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