Portsmouth told it could cut court security cost in half

PORTSMOUTH

The city could staff and secure its new courthouse for less than half the sheriff's $1.4 million estimate, a consultant said Tuesday.

Much of the savings would come from using video conferencing to reduce the number of deputies needed to handle and transport inmates, according to the consultant, former Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul Lanteigne.

The Portsmouth Sheriff's Office has estimated it will need 28 more deputies and new equipment to staff the Portsmouth Judicial Center, which is scheduled for completion in September. That would cost about $1.4 million and an additional $1.2 million annually in personnel costs, according to its numbers.

Lanteigne's estimates brought those figures down to $665,000 in startup costs and about $500,000 annually. His scenario relied on video conferencing, which is common elsewhere but was not considered in the sheriff's projections. Arraignments, bond hearings and appearances to determine legal representation can be done by video.

"That will dramatically reduce your inmate movement," Lanteigne told the City Council.

Officials from Sheriff Bill Watson's staff saw Lanteigne's figures for the first time Tuesday at a public work session. They said they were not consulted on the study, which they said led to at least one error in how he interpreted their estimates. They also questioned some of his assumptions, including whether video conferencing could reap as much savings as he suggested.

Watson did not attend the meeting. Lt. Lee Cherry, a spokesman for the department, said video conferencing would lead to some savings, but "does it justify everything he said? No."

Lanteigne said one request from the sheriff's office - to staff every room in district court with two deputies - exceeded state standards, which require one.

He suggested additional savings by using part-time civilian staffers to handle screening equipment and lot security, rather than full-time deputies. The federal court and state courts in Norfolk and Virginia Beach use part-time employees, most of whom are retired public safety officers, Lanteigne said.

Council members were pleased to see the lower estimates, but some disagreement existed over the extent of the potential savings.

Council members, sheriff's officials and Lanteigne discussed his findings in more detail in a closed meeting, citing an exemption from the open meetings law for public safety items.

Afterward, Councilmen Paige Cherry, Bill Moody Jr. and Curtis E. Edmonds Sr. said they were under the impression his potential savings were inflated by $300,000 due to a misreading of the sheriff's figures.

Councilman Steve Heretick disputed that reading of the situation, saying Lanteigne's numbers held up.

Regardless, council members said they would work off the study as they complete a budget for the courts complex.

Lanteigne said he was paid $5,000 for the study.

Dave Forster, 757-446-2627, dave.forster@pilotonline.com