Commissioners considered options to improve security at the Crenshaw County Courthouse this week. The commission is looking into locking entry points other than the front doors and posting a security guard at the front door fulltime.

While any additional measures that would ensure the safety of those who work and visit the courthouse would be a welcome change, commissioners may be thinking too small.

People often do not consider adding a security alarm until a neighbor is burglarized. Public officials are no different. An act of violence elsewhere reminds them of what could happen in their jurisdiction. But, the time to act is now.

Commissioners should consider a full security audit. Ask a reputable expert to look at all of the county’s properties and make recommendations. Assess the costs of each recommendation and start making them a priority to implement. While the days of $100,000 homeland security grants have gone away, some funding may be out there.

When two Pike County residents were attacked in a home invasion, Troy Police started a free training program for dealing with active shooters in the workplace. That type of program should be mandatory for all city and county employees. And it would be available at little or no cost to the county.

Let’s do all we can to improve safety. Luverne may be the “Friendliest City in the South,” but it is not immune to the violence that has reached every corner of this country.