VIDALIA — A new Concordia Parish committee will be charged with ensuring the safety of those inside and outside the parish courthouse.

The police jury appointed committee members at its Monday night meeting.

In compliance with a letter from the Supreme Court sent to all parishes in Louisiana, the committee will discuss and analyze measures in order to have an assessment for potential security threats.

Installing security cameras, after-hours swipe card access and metal detectors throughout the building are among several ideas President Melvin Ferrington said would be ideal for the courthouse.

Ferrington said that he has been working on securing grants for a security project since 2010, when a security company estimated the cost for such a project at approximately $150,000.

“I’m sure the price has gone up since then, but we’re going to have to find a way to come up with some funding until we can get some grants,” Ferrington said. “There’s got to be a way to see this through.”

Ferrington suggested that a possible solution could be to ask each entity in the building, like the sheriff’s office and district attorney’s office, to chip in and help with the cost until grants can be secured.

District Attorney Brad Burget said he would discuss that possibility with his office, but also suggested the jury and committee contact officials at the Catahoula Parish courthouse, which recently received a grant to help fund a security project.

“It’s a costly thing and I think the Supreme Court understands that, and they’re willing to work with us if we have a plan in place,” Burget said. “It’s going to be an expense and an inconvenience, but it’s kind of the world we live in now.”

Members appointed to the committee include: Judge Leo Boothe, Sheriff Randy Maxwell, Ferrington, Judge Kathy Johnson, Clerk of Court Clyde Webber and Emergency Management Director Morris White.

In other news from the meeting:

 In an effort to cut down costs the police jury is spending on prescription drugs for inmates, the jury invited a representative from a pharmaceutical company, Script Care, to discuss cutting their costs by 40 percent.

Ferrington said the cost of purchasing the prescription drugs is tearing into the budget, with certain inmates needing anywhere from $200 to $600 worth of medication.

After several members questioned how the company operated and would save the jury money, Ferrington said he would let the representative answer all questions and give a detailed explanation before any decisions were made.

Ferrington said the company came recommended to him by the Police Jury Association of Louisiana.

The representative will attend the jury’s next monthly meeting on April 9.