Waukesha County Courthouse Addition Completed

WAUKESHA, WI — A four-story secure courtroom addition to the Waukesha County Courthouse was completed Tuesday, according to Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow's office.

The addition was phase one of a Waukesha County Courthouse project to increase security, address aging infrastructure and enhance accessibility to Circuit Court services. The next phase, to renovate the original 1959 courthouse building, will begin in 2022, Farrow's office said.

The new secure courtroom adds 62,000 square feet to the courthouse.

• All criminal and traffic court officials will relocate to the new addition.
• The new addition included six standard courtrooms, one large capacity courtroom and one intake courtroom with an attached bond room.
• Standard and large capacity courtrooms have their own victim and witness rooms, an inmate holding cell and a conference room.

Courtrooms in the secure facility are designed to maintain three-way separation among inmates, court staff and court visitors according to a judicial standard to limit unnecessary interaction, Farrow's office said.

Other security enhancements include the following.

• Improved video surveillance.
• Upgraded fire protection.
• A courtroom layout that provides a clear line of sight for court officials and bailiffs.
• The ability of court officials to automatically lock down courtrooms in emergency. situations.
• Staff- and public-address systems to provide notifications during emergencies.

Modern audio and visual equipment was added to allow for clear communications within and among courtrooms, jury deliberation rooms, victim witness rooms, media rooms and judicial chambers.

The building allows features the following.

• Digital displays.
• Video conference capabilities.
• Digital signage.