Wearing lots of metal might get a citizen frisked they next time he or she attends a Covington City Council meeting.

The safety of citizens attending events in the Covington City Council chambers such as council meetings and sessions of Mayor’s Court prompted the administration to purchase and install a metal detector at the front door, which was installed this week, and used for the first time at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Mayor Candace Watkins’ spokesperson Catherine Cooper said the city was trying to be proactive instead of reactive by installing the detector. One concern of City Councilman Mark Sacco is the cost of operating the detector. He questioned the true need of the device and is concerned that the need for an officer is taking a policeman away from patrolling city streets, and the extra cost of paying an officer overtime to be at the detector before meetings.

With declining sales tax revenue and an already undermanned police force, is the necessity of an additional officer at events at the chambers diverting needed funds and/or manpower from other areas?

“Is this really necessary?” asked Sacco.

Other in attendance at the council meeting also questioned the necessity of the device.

Covington Police Department spokesman Capt. Jack West said that the officer manning the device would be paid overtime for supervision of the machine.

The cost of the device, paid for with city funds, is about $3,500, according to city administrator Beverly Gareipy.

In use for the first time at Tuesday night’s council meeting, most of the people passing through the machine were citizens attending the meeting and some members of the press. Most of the city council enter the chamber through another entrance not covered by the detector.

The chamber is also the location of Covington City Court, which is located at 317 Jefferson St. Cooper said the biggest concern and reason for the detector were the court sessions.

City Attorney Deborah Foshee said that before the metal detector was installed, everyone was subjected to a hand-held wand-type detector. Foshee said the metal detector would provide extra security for the court.

There are two divisions of Mayor’s Court: code enforcement and criminal. Traffic violations are included as well.

The criminal cases include misdemeanors and simple assaults and/or simple battery. Any defendant that could be sentenced to more than six months is handled at the 22nd Judicial Court in Covington.

Foshee said some of the cases can include individuals that are potentially violent so the metal detector was deemed necessary for added security.