New policies put in place could include metal detector scanning

By Fred Groves

If you plan on attending an Essex County Council meeting in the future, prepare to be scanned with a metal detector.

Last Wednesday night during its live-streamed regular session, council approved three new policies involving public conduct, visitors conduct and trespassing.

The new policies are being put in place, partially because of public outcry at the April 5 Official Plan review that saw the county having to cancel the meeting due to overcrowding in the council chambers in Essex.

One of the new policies indicates that visitors to the county building will have to go through a security check.

“I’m curious about the portion that has people checked. Are we talking about metal detectors?” asked Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue.

The new visitors conduct policy states that persons attending the facilities will go through a screening process and follow check-in procedures in place from time-to-time.

“We are contemplating having metal detectors,” said Essex County Acting CAO Mary Birch who helped draft

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Overcrowding at an April 5 special county council meeting, pictured here, caused that meeting and a subsequent regular meeting to be cancelled. Meetings have been held virtually since, but county council plans to resume in-person sessions with new policies now being put into place.

the new policies. “For meetings, we will be screening people with metal detectors”.

Wording of the new policies included – “individuals who fail to abide by county policies including the Public Code of Conduct Policy or who otherwise engage in aggressive, disrespectful or intimidating behaviour, bullying, harassment, who use coarse language or engage in criminal behaviour while assessing a County program, service, event at the Facilities may be asked to leave the Facilities immediately.”

“Currently the county does not have any formal policies,” commented Birch.

LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche said that the new policies are needed and questioned whether or not they will include inappropriate emails and social media posts from the public. Birch said that indeed those are included in the new polices.

“People have been crossing the line when it comes to attacking our staff,” said Meloche.

While there was no objection to putting the new policies in place, Kingsville Deputy-Mayor Kim DeYong was able to amend some specific wording in the Public Conduct Policy regarding council not responding to requests from the public that are, “incomprehensible, inflammatory or based on conspiracy theories.”

Upon a motion from DeYoung, council decided to remove the words, conspiracy theories.

“What may be offensive to one person, may not be offensive to another,” said DeYong.

While Essex County Council plans to resume in-person meetings for its next session, May 17, the next review of the Official Plan, June 7, will be a Zoom meeting.