BAY MINETTE, Ala. (WALA) – The Baldwin County Commission held a ribbon cutting for a major security upgrade at the Baldwin County Courthouse, adding a new sally port and inmate holding facilities designed to improve safety and courthouse efficiency.
The project features a new sally port with high-speed roll-up doors, gates and fencing intended to reduce the risk of escapes during inmate transport — what the sheriff described as one of the highest-risk moments in the process. New male and female holding cells and break rooms for transport deputies were also constructed beneath the courthouse.
Baldwin County’s rapid growth has led to more judges, court dockets and inmates. Officials said there was previously no adequate way to securely hold inmates inside the courthouse. The new setup is designed to speed up the process of getting inmates before judges while keeping jurors, staff and the public separated from them. It also allows inmates to remain on-site throughout the day rather than making repeated trips back and forth to the jail…