CROWN POINT | Security posts at the Lake County Government Complex's administrative building were empty briefly Monday morning, but the county sheriff said it has nothing to do with his dispute with county officials over a hiring freeze.

County Attorney John Dull said Monday the sheriff withdrew the security guards who have been in place for more than seven years searching visitors for weapons since the Sept. 11 terrorist scare.

The sheriff said his court security staff had to leave some posts unoccupied because it has been depleted by the elimination of one job position last year and a hiring freeze. "We have more security posts and personnel," Dominguez said Monday morning. He said a number of the security guards are off on sick leave or vacation. "I didn't pull them," he said.

The sheriff said he replaced the guards with regular police officers.

He also blames the county commissioners and County Council members for having delayed a solution to the problem of providing security while cutting the county payroll.

The sheriff has been asking the Lake County Council for several months to fill vacancies in the security officer ranks since the council declared a hiring freeze last year to cut costs in the wake of property tax revenue cuts mandated by state government.

The County Council meets today to vote on the sheriff's request to let him hire two security guards. Council members told the sheriff's representatives last week they would postpone a vote on the matter. Council members said they are trying to work with judges to give their bailiffs added security duties, but judges are resisting that move.

The sheriff said commissioners have reneged on a promise to cut two positions from their salary list for nighttime security guards.

Sources within county government said the nighttime security guards working for commissioners hold their jobs through public clout and rarely are available to guard anything.

The sheriff said commissioners wasted $246,000 two years ago buying state-of-the-art scanners that were supposed to detect guns, bombs or drugs more efficiently than security guards searching by hand. The machines never were used, because they would have taken too long for each person passing through, causing visitor backups during property tax season.

The council also is being asked to give raises to a dozen employees of the Calumet Township assessor's office and the county economic development department, despite having to deny across-the-board pay raises because of austerity measures.