Stearns County to Add Metal Detectors at Administration Building and Service Center West

ST. CLOUD -- You will soon have to go through security screening when entering two additional Stearns County government buildings.

The board of commissioners has approved adding metal detectors at the County Administration Building in downtown St. Cloud and Service Center West in Waite Park.

As part of the plan, two additional security officers will also be hired to provide the screening.

The county will use the contingency fund to cover the approximately $50,000 cost of the two metal detectors, the cost to make the administration building entrance ADA compliant, and the security officers' salaries for the remainder of the 2016 budget year. Those staff positions are funded in the 2017 budget moving forward.

Stearns County already has metal detectors at the Courthouse and Courts Facilities Building.

The move has been in the discussion stage for some time and is not in response to last Saturday's mall attack at Crossroads.