And certainly Burbank and Glendale leaders have every right to be concerned about angry audience members, whose actions are not only disruptive, but at the very least bordering on violent.
But a metal detector outside one room for a couple hours a week is not security. It is a minor deterrent.
If there is a real security threat — and clearly city officials believe there is — both City Halls should do it right. That means metal detectors at all entrances of the buildings.
It is, sadly, not unrealistic to think that an irate resident, or even just some unstable soul, could walk into a city building and start shooting.
If you think it is then you are sheltered and have not been following the national news for the past decade.
And frankly if city officials are frightened to attend council meetings — as city leaders in Glendale and Burbank have admitted to — then we have a problem.
We can’t fault Burbank officials for taking quick action to station a detector outside Council Chambers in the wake of the Kirkwood shooting — a move that was made all the more immediate after the recent lifting of a restraining order against a resident who had been threatening at a recent Burbank meeting.
But are city officials’ lives valuable for only a couple of hours on Tuesday night?
Both cities need to put long-term plans in place to protect city staff members and officials in the changing world.
A single metal detector turned on one night a week is more of a security blanket than security.
