As a court planner, one of the most common questions I have been asked since the pandemic is, “What best practices are being implemented in courthouse projects in light of the hybrid concepts that have emerged during the pandemic?” The notion of a hybrid courthouse combines traditional court...

When I ask about duress alarms during a security assessment of a workplace or government facility, the typical response I get is, "I'm not sure if we have them." Or, “We removed them because we kept setting them off by mistake.”

A duress alarm, alternatively known as a panic button or distress...

Fentress has assessed over 1,200 court facilities throughout the U.S., and with that experience comes much knowledge and data. This data can be analyzed to help decision-makers plan for the long-term needs of their courthouses. 

For most of my professional career, I worked as a school resource officer to ensure the safety and security of schools. This experience provided me with the foundation to become a security assessment professional. In my role as a security assessor, I work with government agencies to evaluate...

I have to acknowledge a struggle I have been dealing with for the last two years as a court planner. Will courts embrace the technologies that arose during the pandemic and reduce the size and number of courtrooms, or will they maintain the status quo?