A discussion about making the Dover Public Library safer includes the possibility of adding an armed guard there. And one City official is now examining that idea more closely.
Dover’s Mayor and City Council recently met to discuss safety and security at the Dover Public Library in response to a man allegedly committing a lewd act there in June that was seen by a teenager.
During that meeting, Dover City Manager Donna Mitchell proposed hiring an armed guard to protect the library.
Versus right now we use the cadet program. And we have three cadets that rotate in and out of the library; they’re not full-time employees; they’re also students, so they do not stay long-term, so we have a big turnover," said Mitchell. "They also don’t cover all the hours for the library that it’s open.”
Mitchell argues an armed guard makes sense, providing protection for both the general public and library staff.
She notes the City’s current budget includes $60,000 to pay for the three cadets, and the cost of an armed guard would be slightly higher,.
"I’m going to probably need to make up about $25,000 more," said Mitchell. "I’m going to have to find in the budget somewhere to make up the difference between what I would need on an armed guard around the clock vs the three cadets.”
City leaders are giving Mitchell until September to work out the details of hiring an armed guard.
For now, dead-bolt locks have been placed on bathroom doors to make the restrooms safer.
That incident comes in the wake of another incident at the library.
“The reason for the locks is that we had a person go into the ladies room on the second floor and she heard footsteps - she couldn’t see any feet - she heard the door open and she happened to look up and it was a male and he was standing over the stall and he was taking pictures of her,” said Mitchell.
Patrons now must ask library staff for a key to use the restrooms.
