Since September 11th, the level of security has been heightened around Charlottesville City Hall.

Charlottesville City Councilor Meredith Richards says, "Anyone visiting City Hall today is allowed to enter only through the front door, where a city police officer is stationed during all working hours" adding that this is "one way in which we have increased security for the protection of our city employees."

Beginning in the first weekend in October, four officers were stationed on a rotating schedule to patrol the floors of City Hall, the recreation center, the parking garage and the City Annex -- all of the municipal buildings in the area.

This duty has now been consolidated in the person of Community Service Officer Thomas "Tommy" Thompson, someone you might want to go by City Hall to meet and get to know.

Thompson's duty is to be observant for any signs of trouble, to intervene where it seems appropriate and to call for help where needed. As a Community Service Officer, Thompson cannot carry a gun, but he does carry pepper spray and a batton and is in constant radio contact with the police department. City employees and others can always reach him by calling 911, whereever he might be in the City Hall complex.

Thompson says while there have been no 'September 11th-type' incidents, he has been called upon to help calm down unhappy customers. Usually, just walking inside the office door, he says, does the trick and his general presence has diminished the number of those situations which actually seem to arise.

The scope of Thompson's duties pertain to Class 2, 3 and 4 misdemeanors and he has no arrest powers. I asked him what he might do if someone brought a concealed or unconcealed weapon into the City Hall complex.

He said that if the person didn't seem to have a good reason for bringing one in, he would ask them to leave and, depending on whether the situation warrented, call the police.