Court Security Committee

Court Security Newsletter - June 2010

WASHINGTON
COURT SECURITY QUARTERLY
June 2010

THE VALUE OF THE INCIDENT REPORT

A judge received a letter that threatened to kill the judge, the judge’s family, the staff, and the staff’s family. The writer of the letter also stated that he/she had recorded the license plate numbers of the cars in the parking lot and that he/she would find their families.

..Male… was yelling at the security guard, apparently not wanting to be screened prior to entering the courthouse. When confronted by the bailiff, he was told to calm down or leave the building. Subject continued to yell at the bailiff. The panic button was pressed. Subject left the building kicking and slamming the entrance door.

While in court, the defendant became agitated and began speaking loudly through his interpreter that he needed to get out of jail. He then took off his sandal and threw it at the judge. It hit the judge…..

Defendant… while outside the …Courthouse, allegedly verbally threatened to kill the witness and the arresting officer on his criminal case.

The subject, who had been placed in custody, was being walked to the jail. He jerked loose of the court security officer and ran out the front doors of the courthouse. He got into a car with another person and escaped custody.

Inside Courts has a valuable mechanism for reporting incidents that should be utilized by every court. The Court Security Incident Report Form has been used by many but not all courts to report security incidents or incidents interfering with the administration of justice. We need to increase the reporting frequency in order to create a documented history of the violence and safety issues faced by our state’s courts, its employees, and those who use the courts. By thoroughly documenting the incidents faced by our courts, we can look to secure funding from the state and federal governments to support our courts.

An incident is defined as a threat to or assault against the court or court community, including court personnel, litigants, attorneys, witnesses, jurors or others using the courthouse. It also includes any event or threatening situation that disrupts the court or compromises the safety of the court or the court community. This definition is found in the Courthouse Public Safety Standards, accessible through the Security section of Inside Courts.

The incidents noted above all occurred in or around our state courts this year, and reflect just a small sample of the incidents reported. Incidents that should be reported include not only threats to judges and staff, but threats to anyone involved with the administration of justice such as probation officers, security officers, attorneys, witnesses, jurors, etc. Reportable incidents also include assaultive behavior, disruptive behavior, and anything that threatens the safety of those within or around the court, such as a confrontation in the lobby, or a weapon found on court property.

Courts should not only report incidents that happen within the courthouse, but incidents that happen on the courthouse steps and in the parking lot. Reportable incidents may also include events away from the courthouse, such as a threat received by a judge or staff member at their home, on their email, or even on a social networking site. Any event that results in a security or police response, or the need for additional police presence should be reported.

If you have any doubts regarding whether or not something would be considered an “incident”, submit an incident report form. Committee staff members review each report received. We prefer that courts over-report than under-report incidents, so that we understand completely the security risks faced by our courts and the issues we may need to address.

The Incident Report form is a short form that takes a few minutes to fill out, and it can be submitted online or via email. You can access the Incident Report form on Inside Courts within the Court Resources tab by selecting “Security”. A direct link to the Incident Report form is included at the end of this newsletter. The Court Security Committees wishes to thank those courts that currently submit reports and those who will submit reports in the future.

Your Court Security Committee appreciates the efforts made by each court, and we are working hard to support you. Do not hesitate to contact us with any issues or concerns you would like to see addressed in the future. We have again included a short survey, and appreciate your participation. Please respond via email to the questions below.

Gratefully,
BJA Court Security Committee

Your Input Please . . . .

1. Has your court had a security incident within the past twelve months?
Yes____ No____

2. IIf yes, did your court report the incident using the Incident Report form?
Yes _____ (If you did use the form, did you have any difficulty filling it out?)
___________________________________________________________________________________

No _____ (If you did not use the Incident Report form, why not?)
___________________________________________________________________________________

3. Please note any concerns or suggestions you may have regarding Incident Report forms or what we can do to make reporting incidents easier or more convenient.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Board for Judicial Administration
Court Security Committee Members

Judge John Lohrmann (co-chair)

Superior Court Judges’ Association

*Judge Janis Whitener-Moberg (co-chair)

District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association

Jeffrey Beaver

Washington State Bar Association

Judge Elizabeth Cordi-Bejarano

District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association

*Judge Steven González

Superior Court Judges’ Association

Craig Daly

Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators

*Justice Mary Fairhurst

Washington State Appellate Courts

Suzanne Elsner

District and Municipal Court Management Association

*Fona Sugg

Association of Washington Superior Court Administrators

Sonya Kraski

Washington State Association of County Clerks

*Chief Robert Spinks

Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs

  

Rick Coplen

Administrative Office of the Courts

Karen Castillo

Administrative Office of the Courts

*Those members listed with an asterisk by their name will retire from the Court Security Committee on June 30, 2010. On behalf of the court community, we wish to thank Justice Mary Fairhurst, Judge Steve González, Judge Janis Whitener-Moberg, Police Chief Robert Spinks, and Court Administrator Fona Sugg for their invaluable contributions to the work of the Court Security Committee.

For a Court Security Incident Report Form, click here: Incident Report Form

View the most recent incident report log. Click here: June 2010 Incident Report

View the Courthouse Safety Standards. Click here: Courthouse Safety Standards

Have a Safe & Happy 4th of July!!

 

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