The Cortez City Council and Police Department plan to increase security at City Hall.

When councilors met last week, it was the first time since moving into the new City Hall building on Roger Smith Avenue that the council shared its chambers with a designated security officer throughout the meeting. Police Lt. Andy Brock said that was the first of several new security measures the department plans to implement from now on. Others include silent alarms in the council chambers and a recently drafted emergency plan for city staff.

The city council has never had an officer on duty before in its new building, and it hasn’t faced a major disturbance during a public meeting in years. Although the councilors largely expressed approval for the security tactics, councilor Orly Lucero asked why they were necessary.

“I think maybe it’s just time,” Brock said. “Five years ago I would have said no, that we wouldn’t need that, but ... times are changing a little bit.”

He said that, from now on, a police officer will be present in the entry hall of the building during each pre-meeting workshop, and patrol the council chambers and the hallways during each meeting. He or she will also be among the last people to leave the building at night, checking the doors to make sure they are locked.

A new alarm system has also been installed in the council dais, allowing members to call the police with the press of a button if necessary.

Executive assistant Dawn McCabe-Lightenburger said government employees drafted an emergency plan for all city buildings earlier this year, and city councilors are the last to receive training in it. She said the council will schedule an emergency drill soon.

In the meantime, Brock gave councilors the same advice he said police give high school students in shooting drills: “run, hide, fight.” He said the dais is a good place to shelter in case of a shooting because it is reinforced with steel.

Several councilors thanked the police department and city staff for putting together a security plan.

“I hope it never comes to that, but it’s nice to know you’ve given it some thought,” Mayor Karen Sheek said.

Brock urged councilors to ask the police department about any other security measures they might need.

Law enforcement was a frequent topic of discussion Tuesday. The meeting included several votes on improving police communication equipment and creating a contract with Municipal Judge Jim Shaner. During his report at the end of the meeting, City Manager John Dougherty brought up another potential law enforcement issue: panhandling.

He said a Cortez resident had left two anonymous notes in the City Hall suggestion box recently, and reportedly said they would keep coming back “until (the city) did something about” the people who regularly ask for money at street corners and in parking lots around town. Dougherty said panhandling is protected under federal freedom of speech laws, and there is nothing the municipal government can legally do to stop it.

“The way to stop them is to stop giving them money on the street corners, and give to a charity that’s going to help them get back on their feet,” he said.