Riley County could begin holding jury trials at the old Seth Childs 12 movie-theater building in Manhattan as soon as this month.
County officials have reportedly been searching for a third location to host jury trials in response to COVID-19 guidelines passed down from the Kansas Supreme Court.
While the building has not been utilized as a movie theater since early 2018, it is currently being used by a local church.
Capt. Greg Steere says providing security for the building could be challenging.
“Obviously, when it was was designed, it was not designed with security in mind, so that’s going to present some challenges,” Steere said. “The biggest challenge is our court security unit trying to now man a third facility when those trials are happening.”
The court security unit consists of one sergeant, four security officers and three security screeners.
The unit is hiring for two of its security-screener positions and seeking funding for a fourth.
RCPD officials brought up the need for a fourth screener during a discussion with the Riley County Law Board Monday about the department’s 2022 budget.
The requested budget for 2022 currently sits at around $22.7 million, up about $560,000 from 2021.
For more details on RCPD 2022 budget proposal, click here.
