Ventura County Municipal Code Ch. 5 Courthouse Security Screening

Persons subject to screening on entry; breaching courthouse security measures or entering courthouse through unauthorized entryways prohibited.

(a) All persons entering the Ventura County Hall of Justice ("Ventura Courthouse"), located at 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, California, the East County Courthouse, located at 3855-F Alamo Street, Simi Valley, California, or the County of Ventura Juvenile Courthouse, located at 4333 Vineyard Avenue, Oxnard, California, must enter by means of the designated courthouse entry screening areas and must submit their persons and property to screening for weapons ("entry screening"). This subdivision shall not apply to those officers and employees of the Ventura Superior Court or the County of Ventura who have assigned parking spaces in the underground parking facility or who have been specifically designated as exempt from its provisions by the Ventura County Sheriff.

(b) It is unlawful for any person to breach, defeat, bypass, or tamper with any mechanism, system or facility installed to prevent bar or restrict access to the Ventura Courthouse, the East County Courthouse, or the County of Ventura Juvenile Courthouse with the intent to circumvent entry screening, or to aid another in such a breach, defeat, bypass, or tampering.

(c) It is unlawful for any person to enter, with the intent to circumvent the courthouse entry screening, or exit the Ventura County Courthouse, the East County Courthouse, or the County of Ventura Juvenile Courthouse by way of any access door, hallway, or entryway posted as "restricted" or "no access," unless authorized to do so by a sheriff court service's deputy whose formal duties and responsibilities include security of the courthouse. (Rep. & Reen. Ord. 4313—10/5/04)

Sheriff's deputies are authorized to arrest any person, without warrant therefor, whenever they have reasonable cause to believe that the person has committed an infraction or a misdemeanor in their presence that is a violation of this chapter.

(Add. Ord. 4197—9/14/99)

Any person violating, causing, or permitting the violation of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor/infraction or an infraction, in the discretion of the prosecuting officer, and shall be punished by a fine in accordance with section 13 et seq. of the Ventura County Ordinance Code; provided, however, that any offense which would otherwise be an infraction shall constitute a misdemeanor if the defendant previously has been convicted of two or more violations of this chapter within the 12-month period preceding the commission of the instant offense, as alleged in the accusatory pleading. For purpose of this section, a bail forfeiture shall be deemed to be a conviction of the offense charged.

(Add. Ord. 4197—9/14/99)

This chapter shall not apply to persons entering the Ventura County Law Library ("Law Library") or the Ventura Courthouse Cafeteria ("Cafeteria") by means of entrances provided for direct entry to such facilities. However, this chapter shall apply to all persons otherwise subject to the provisions of this chapter on their entering or reentering the Ventura Courthouse from the Law Library or the Cafeteria.

(Add. Ord. 4197—9/14/99)

This ordinance shall become operative and shall take effect on the 31st day after the date of the final passage.

(Add. Ord. 4197—9/14/99)