CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio pitched millions of dollars in security enhancements the week after back-to-back mass shootings.
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“We feel like we are at a place where we don't have much of a choice but to accelerate our security posture," Diorio told commissioners at their meeting Wednesday night.
Diorio's security proposals include online yearly run/hide/fight active shooter training for county employees and mandatory weapons screening at certain county buildings for visitors and employees.
The initial cost for the security upgrades is $12.3 million, and $6.3 million is how much the enhancements will cost each year after that.
“I think it is something we have to do because making sure our facilities are safe and secure is a baseline, but there is a public cost to those decisions,” Commissioner Susan Harden, D-District 5, said.
The buildings receiving enhanced security will be identified in the upcoming weeks.
Diorio said the 11th floor of the Government Center where commissioners have offices will be upgraded, which is something that Commissioner Vilma Leake said she is grateful for.
“I have said I do not feel safe in this building on the 11th floor,” Leake said.
She said the upgrades are necessary for everyone.
“There are people you look at who you think are so sweet and innocent that will pull out a gun and kill you and keep walking,” Leake said.
There is a security checkpoint at the Government Center currently for all visitors but since the building is owned by the city, any major enhancements will have to be approved by the Charlotte City Council, not commissioners.