Privacy please

It turns out that the gorgeous new $44 million Dane County Courthouse, which has garnered a fair degree of note including a massive front page splash in the Wisconsin State Journal, has one small problem: the doors on the district attorney's office have windows in them, according to the same paper.

And this is more than a cosmetic problem. As the article referenced above notes, windows have a way of compromising security on two levels: first they allow people to voyeuristically peer in and, second they diminish the sound-proof nature of the doors, so peeping toms also get an audio feed of sorts.

(Jenna over at Right Off the Shore has some insightful thoughts on this, too.)

According to the State Journal article, the color of the doors is also wrong but, quite frankly, I couldn't care less about this. When it comes to the business of government, any extra cash for cosmetics is wasteful spending.

Who exactly is to blame for this error isn't wholly apparent – the finger pointing has begun, though. But it clearly is not the fault of Brian Blanchard or his office. And it is an issue that needs to be corrected, promptly. Privacy is essential for giving victims comfort, allowing trial preparation and preventing Dane County from having to purchase more paper shredders than CREEP.

Besides, being Dane County's chief stone thrower, Mr. Blanchard really shouldn't be forced to work in a glass office.