Laura Gentile Letter on Hampden County Courthouse

8/13/2019 Laura Gentile Letter on Hampden County Courthouse

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that has evolved through the Innocence Project designed to ensure that evidence isproperly preserved. As I m sure you know DNA evidence for example must bepreserved in a temperature controlled environment. We certainly don t have that. Thisproblem in not isolated to our courthouse; it is a state-wide problem. However we don teven have enough space to store our evidence much less the proper space.

One of my greatest concerns is the potential risk posed to the public simplybecause we have outgrown this building. As you know we are the second busiestsuperior court in the Commonwealth and the Springfield District Court which is housedin this courthouse is the busiest district court in the Commonwealth. We process veryserious cases in this courthouse. Murders home invasions and weapon cases arecommonplace. Frequently we have more than one very serious case on trial at the sametime. For instance last May there were three murder cases being tried at the same timeas well as a civil case that stemmed from a murder. Often these trials involve rivalgangs. Anytime there is a criminal case that involves a victim such as a homicidetensions are high. The Hampden County courthouse simply is not designed to provide thesafeguards needed for the high volume of serious cases for which we are responsible. Itseems as though it is always ft r a tragedy that people sit up and take notice. I wouldlike us to be an exception to that rule and fix the problem before something tragic occurs.We need a new courthouse.

I think it might be interesting for you and anyone else you think should beinvolved t o visit us on one of our busier days the wayan ordinary visitor would. Inother words find your own parking wait in line to get into the building and take thepublic elevator during the busiest morning hour. I would of course accompany you. Ithink it would be an eye opener.

I hope you find this helpful. If there is anything else you need from me do nothesitate to call me. I look forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely

Laur ntile Esq.Hampden County Clerk of Courts


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Concerns with State Street

Structural Concerns: Cracks in walls by Court Room 3, 3rd Floor Doors that do not close and/or do not open i.e. Ct. Rm. 3 and doors to Judges

Lobbies 3rd Floor) Leaking windows all over the building i.e. D.A. s office and west side ofthe

building are particularly) Overhangs - building shakes when trucks drive by - other parts of building shake Fourth floor - rain/water comes in from the roof Sections of Library floor, Clerk s Office and other areas of building: walls andfloors vibrate

Health Concerns: HVAC system and Air Quality

- dirty air vents/ what looks like black mold due to the number of leaks- what appears to be mold growth from leaks employee in Probate diagnosedwith lung cancer - allegedly mold was found in her lungs)- lack of air circulation four staff in the Clerk s office with serious eye problems)- no windows that open no fresh air)- peeling paint from all the leaks and from age- water stained ceiling tiles/black stained tiles/missing tiles from so many leaks- temperature is so uncomfortable it affects productivity outdated HVAC system -too hot or too cold - no happy medium)- bathrooms are insufficient; not handicap accessible, not updated and too few ofthem - cannot accommodate the needs of the courthouse- different departments/floors should have their own controls for heating and airconditioning - not one temperature for the entire building -some parts of thebuilding are unbearably hot while others are unbearably cold- employees note that they feel better when they are not in this building

Space Concerns: Not enough storage for materials that we are mandated to keep Vaults are too small Courtrooms not designed to accommodate desk top computers and other

technology i.e. recording devices) Court rooms and jury rooms are too small Lock up overcrowded Office space is inadequate - multiple people in small areas designed for one There is no proper space for evidence retention There is not enough room to properly empanel a jury, especially if more than one

case is going on at a time


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Safety Issues/Accessibility Concerns: Elevators

- Inadequate number of elevators available to the employees and public- It is rare to have all elevators operational- Elevators do not stop level to the floor causing people to trip- On 11/25/13 the Judges elevator became stuck, with 2 people on it, requiring the

fire department to respond Public Address system

- Court Rooms/Clerks Office do not have public address systems in the event ofan emergency An announcement was made regarding the tornado of June 15which was not heard in the clerk s office or courtrooms.)

Handicapped Accessibility- Court Rooms; Employee Bathrooms and Jury Rooms are not handicapped

equipped/accessible - much ofthe building is not accessible Parking

- Inadequate on-site parking for court employees- Off-site parking is inadequate and unsafe after dark for employees and thepublic, Court employee mugged leaving work)- jurors have asked to be escorted to their cars after dark, taking security personnelfrom other dutiesLock-up facilities are too small and provide safety risksOther Concerns

Lack of signs directing the public to the different courts/offices Locks on doors all need to be replaced Not enough actual seating/chairs in court rooms Library has only one entrance/exit in violation of building code Probate Court has nothing to separate/protect the employees from the

public safety glass, etc.) Employees have to bring large sums of cash to the bank and/or the

Armored car personnel via public elevator/halls.Technological Concerns There is no wi-fi

There is no dvd, or audio visual equipment or hook-ups The Clerk s office does


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Constitutional Concerns:There is no space for an attorneys to confer privately with clientsJurors use the same elevators, entrances as everyone else, including defendantsJurors are transported to courtrooms through public hallwaysCo-defendants are held in the same lock-up

Public Risk Concerns:The facility lacks built-in security measures to accommodate the level and number of

serious criminal cases handled on a regular basis:-there is no lock-down mechanism-there is no warning system to alert people when a melee occurs; court officers rely onantiquated radios to contact each other for assistance.-there is one metal detector at the front entrance; it is antiquated and slow and it cannotaccommodate the number of people who come through the door this results in delays ingetting the already back-logged court sessions started because we are always waiting forsomeone to clear through.- the lock-up facilities are overcrowded which makes it difficult to properlymanage/secure the prisoners- there is only one Superior Court lock-up which makes it difficult to keep defendantswho need to be separated away from each other, which in turn causes additional securityrisks ** this is a serious safety concern given the volume of cases this courthouse has, thelack of built-in security measures and the lack of court officersThere are no security systems outside the courtrooms i.e. video cameras monitoring thehallways-there are no holding places to keep families of victims and defendants separated; courtofficers must separate them ....these court officers are already spread too thin-there are not enough elevators to keep separate people who should not be on the sameelevator and there is no stair accessibility-the courtrooms are not big enough to keep parties separated

Potential Concerns with the Construction of the MGM Casino:It will be virtually impossible to conduct business at State Street

Traffic tie-ups Lack of parking - almost all of the lots where employees now park are to become

MGM property Transportation of defendants will be nearly impossible Potential interruptions in utilities and/or other services Potential increase in the number of cases as a result of the casino

means all the aforementioned safety/storage issues will also increase


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noise and debris from construction will be disruptive to court proceeding, whichcould potentially affect constitutional rights of individuals

The site of the proposed casino can be measured in feet from the courthouse. Theconstruction of this multimillion dollar project along with the construction Project willmake it impossible to conduct courthouse business.

Documents

Laura Gentile Letter on Hampden County Courthouse