Hall County Administrator Jock Connell responded Thursday to concerns that had been publicly raised about safety in the Hall County Government Center by an employee earlier in the week.
Connell spoke at the end of Thursday's commission voting session, saying the county had not received any complaints about safety in the building from citizens or employees before Sam Baker commented at the end of Monday's commission work session.
Baker had raised concerns in light of a recent shooting that killed 12 people in a municipal building in Virginia. He said Monday that he felt the county did not have sufficient security to prevent a similar incident.
Connell said the county has taken several steps to ensure safety in the county government center.
"Numerous Hall County employees, including public safety personnel, have spent countless hours creating and implementing a comprehensive safety plan for our building. It's not something that was just thrown together overnight," Connell said.
Connell also said county employees are trained in what to do in an active shooter situation. He also said the Hall County Sheriff's Office and Marshall's Office both monitor the government center with on-site officers and security cameras.
"They are poised to respond at a moment's notice if needed," Connell said.
Connell said the county would use the recent shooting in Virginia as an opportunity to re-evaluate it's security and also encouraged citizens and employees to alert any suspicious activity to authorities.
"That re-evaluation process has begun, and it will remain ongoing as long as there is violence in the world."
Connell said the county respected Baker's concerns but wanted to reassure the public that safety in the county government center is a priority.
"We don't want to diminish or degrade or discount anybody's feeling about being unsafe," Connell said. "But I think on this topic, it's critically important that we delineate feelings from facts."
