Can’t see the terrorist for the trees at busy downtown courthouse

At the moment, court officials remain mum on whether they intend to fix security camera obstructions at the Regional Justice Center.

It’s basically a matter of trimming a few trees, cutting down some bushes and adding a camera or two.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal this week disclosed the flaws in the surveillance system that authorities have known about for some time.

How quickly officials respond will likely depend on whether they run into any administrative obstacles at the county, which holds the courthouse purse strings.

According to the statistics I’ve been provided, there’s little question that whatever actions authorities take, they will have an impact on a lot of people.

Records show that the 17-story Regional Justice Center is one busy place.

Last year, the marshals tracked 1,735,378 people going through the metal detectors.

Officials estimate that 5,000 to 8,000 people visit the courthouse each day.

A different set of statistics confirm the task of protecting the building is serious business.

The marshals confiscated 3,132 knives at the Regional Justice Center last year, records show.

And they may end up surpassing that mark this year. In the first five months of 2010 the marshals seized 1,644 knives.

It’s just another reason to have cameras positioned around the building that can actually view potential threats.