In October, a man facing drug charges and jail time ran out of the Iberia Parish Courthouse.

Sheriff deputies found the man hiding under a home about a block away from the courthouse. Now there’s more security in and around the courthouse to prevent that type of incident. 

“Some things that are changing here is that everyone who will enter the courthouse will enter from the first floor and all of the handicap persons will now be entering from the basement,” according to Iberia Parish President Larry Richard. 

When you enter the courthouse you must go through a metal detector and it’s best if you leave your cell phone in your car.

The additional security measures don’t stop once you’re in the building. 

“We’ve put a lot of cameras at the courthouse so now we are completely secure. Everything that happens around this grid is all on camera,” Richard said.

He explains they now have some of the latest technology and video surveillance snd It’s all in an effort to make the courthouse safer. 

“It is about protecting the people that are coming to the courthouse,” the parish president said.

“A lot of people might feel like it’s not convenient for them, but it’s about protecting them as well. When someone is here doing work they need to feel safe. If someone is going to meet with the sheriff’s department, meeting with the clerk of court, or coming to a council meeting they need to be safe and we need to try to help them as much as possible.”

Richard says they are looking into doing more renovations in the courthouse next year.