$2M grant program to bolster Tenn. courthouse security

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A $2 million grant program aims to improve security at courthouses across Tennessee.

The Administrative Office of the Courts has started the initiative with one-time money set aside by state lawmakers and Gov. Bill Haslam.

A committee of statewide judges will determine the criteria and qualifications for awards.

Preference will be given to counties with courtrooms that don’t meet minimum security standards, and counties that had a courtroom security breach between July 2016 the end of this June.

In June, an inmate shot and injured two deputies at the Coffee County Courthouse before shooting and killing himself nearby.

In October 2016, the Lewis County Herald reported that a man fired a gun in the Lewis County Courthouse, though no one was hurt.

Grant applications will be accepted through October 16.