Mayor’s security end-around nags

By Jeff German

Friday, April 10, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The man who bears the brunt of responsibility for security at the Regional Justice Center says city marshals violated protocol this week when they bypassed public metal detectors and escorted Mayor Oscar Goodman and two city councilmen through a back route to a 17th-floor Nevada Supreme Court hearing.

Ed Friedland, District Court’s executive officer, said he made it clear to both the county marshals, whom he directly oversees, and the city marshals, who handle security for Las Vegas Municipal Court, that courthouse policy is not to give special treatment to anyone.

But the city marshals, with the help of Capitol Police, who are in charge of security for the Supreme Court, still gave the Las Vegas officials the unusual escort, which also included a ride up a private employee elevator.

Friedland said he plans to raise his concerns about the departure from normal security policy at the next meeting of the Regional Justice Center’s tenant committee, which sets the building’s policies.

“Generally, whether you’re a millionaire or a member of the general public, we like to treat everybody the same,” Friedland said.

Goodman and Councilmen Gary Reese and David Steinman were among those attending the Supreme Court hearing Monday on the Culinary Union’s bid to get initiatives on the June 2 ballot that city leaders say would harm redevelopment efforts, including a new city hall project. The high court punted the matter back to District Court on Wednesday.

Before Monday’s hearing, Goodman and company bypassed the public metal detector and entered the courthouse through the loading dock on the south side of the building, officials said.

From there the city leaders, with the marshals at their side, were escorted through a private hallway to an employee elevator on the north side of the courthouse. The back route allowed the mayor and the councilmen to avoid having to use the public elevators.

The marshals and council members were met by Capitol Police on the 17th floor and escorted about 50 feet through a private Supreme Court hallway into a conference room just off the court’s public lobby, where they waited a few minutes behind closed doors for the hearing to begin, officials said.

Following the arguments, they were given a law enforcement escort along a similar path out of the building, officials said.

Friedland said the goal of the security policy to segregate courthouse employees from the public is to avoid compromising the judges.

“We don’t like to mingle parties in a case with judges who might be hearing that case,” he said. “There have been other high-profile people who asked for special accommodations, and we have not allowed them to use the back of the house.”

O.J. Simpson wanted special access during his well-publicized robbery trial last year, but officials denied it, Friedland said.

Supreme Court spokesman Bill Gang said there was never any contact this week between the justices and the city officials.

But a knowledgeable courthouse source said giving Goodman and the councilmen special access to the courthouse and Supreme Court leaves the perception with the public that the city was getting favorable treatment in the case.

“It looks like they sneaked the mayor upstairs, gave him his own conference room, and then they rule in favor of the city,” the source said. “That doesn’t look right.”

This isn’t the first time a litigant has been given special treatment for a state Supreme Court hearing, however.

Following a hearing on the 17th floor a year ago, gaming mogul Steve Wynn was allowed to use a private elevator and exit to avoid a group of protesters. Gang said officials obliged Wynn in that case because of his eyesight problems.

This week’s decision to escort Goodman and the councilmen through the back hallway was made by the Capitol Police for security reasons, Gang said.

Hadi Sadjadi, a Capitol Police supervisor stationed at the Grand Sawyer State Office Building, said his officers were merely extending a professional courtesy to city marshals who had asked for their help.

“They had security concerns and we addressed their concerns,” Sadjadi said. “What those concerns were, we weren’t told.”

City Councilman Steve Wolfson, a criminal defense lawyer who regularly visits the courthouse, said no one mentioned concerns for his safety. He said he took the public elevators to the hearing.

The city released a statement Thursday, calling the procedures taken on behalf of Goodman “standard protocol for dignitary protection for the mayor.”

“Whether it is a casino or some other off-site location where large crowds are expected, or there is difficulty accessing the location, the city marshals make arrangements for secure ease of access,” the city said.

At the courthouse there was talk that any security concerns about the hearing were related to a potentially large show of force by Culinary Union members.

City spokeswoman Diana Paul refused to say whether that was true.