On the busiest of days, as many as 8,000 people make their way through the security scans at the front gates of the Regional Justice Center.

They are of all types: attorneys, court staff and law enforcement. There are people showing up to pay traffic tickets or look up a court record.

And then there are the criminals: felons, robbers, drug addicts, hookers, accused killers.

Many of them face court proceedings that could put them in prison for years.

Given this, securing the county's centerpiece of judicial activity is a top priority for court administrators. But in recent weeks, some of the individuals responsible for offering that front-line safety to the public -- county bailiffs -- have been quitting, seeking higher paying jobs with better benefits from other law enforcement agencies in the Las Vegas Valley.

Right now, the county has 11 bailiff vacancies because of workers migrating to other agencies.

Bailiffs are paid $35,796 to $55,481, and County Courts Administrator Chuck Short said that is about 10 percent below what other comparable law enforcement agencies in the valley are paying.

Short said he believes the county needs to raise that pay range and that doing so will ensure the most experienced law enforcement personnel available are screening for weapons and providing courtroom security.

"With 11 vacancies, I can tell you that our security here (at the Regional Justice Center) is less than adequate ... and probably will be for the next 30 days," Short said. "We are doing the things necessary to minimize the risks. It means we close down points of access into the building."

Administrators at Clark County's headquarters on Grand Central Parkway, however, have a far different take on the situation.

County spokesman Erik Pappa said the bailiff pay range is a fair compensation package, and there is a consistent pool of talented job applicants out there willing to take the bailiff jobs if vacancies surface.

He said a recent posting for bailiff vacancies generated more than 200 applicants, at least 140 of which were at least minimally qualified for the job.

"Clearly, there is an abundance of people who are qualified for these jobs and who want them," Pappa said. "These are plum jobs.

"The bottom line is that we feel the courts have enough bailiffs to cover their needs," Pappa said. "We appreciate the bailiffs and all they do, but we believe they are compensated appropriately for the work that they perform, and we have a market study to back that up."

Pappa also questioned whether it was really necessary for recent shutdowns of the gates, which has happened twice in the past month. On Aug. 24, when a main entry gate to the Regional Justice Center was closed, there were 56 bailiffs assigned to the Regional Justice Center, he said.

That figure includes administrative bailiffs, who work the building's front gate, and judicial bailiffs, who are assigned to individual courtrooms and work for judges.

Pappa said if the courts can assign judicial bailiffs to front-gate security positions when individual courts are not in session, then the problem is solvable.

"This is a problem that can be addressed with proper management," Pappa said.

Short, however, said judicial bailiffs have their own function: overseeing safety in individual courtrooms.

"Incidents happen in courtrooms, and judges need the presence of a law enforcement officer," Short said. "In the afternoons, when trials aren't going on, judicial bailiffs are going to the front gate. But in the mornings, when they are in court, we don't have access to them, period, and we have a responsibility to public employees and judges in courtrooms, just like we have responsibility to all the building's occupants."

Last week, the bailiffs agreed to organize and form a union with the assistance of union organizer Cops of Nevada. Whether the organization will be formally recognized by the county remains to be seen. The county pays the bailiffs, but the county could feasibly argue that the bailiffs are actually state employees who by law are prevented from forming a union.

Don Ruiz, director of field operations for Cops of Nevada, said the bailiffs' association will seek to establish a better line of communication with county officials over pay and staffing issues.

"We really want to stop any bad blood, and there is no reason for it," Ruiz said. "Our main goal is to work together and assist the county in maintaining a good workplace for the bailiffs."