The security of courtrooms throughout Florida has gotten the attention of the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court, who has appointed a “state-wide courthouse security workgroup” to seek solutions to the problem. It’s interesting that there are no security professionals appointed to the group – only lawyers, most of them other judges, and an administrative staff member. Hopefully the workgroup will leverage the expertise of security professionals in their decision-making, or at least tap into the knowledge of law enforcement personnel working at jurisdictions across the state.
Lack of funding
To be fair, the problem seems to be more about money (or lack of money) than about strategies or expertise. Security at Florida’s local courthouses is handled by local governments, rather than at the state level, so funding depends on local boards of commissioners in each county, which must balance funding for the security of courthouses with a long and demanding list of other local needs and requirements. For example, in Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, there has been a continuing standoff with the county government over security staff funding.
The new state workgroup will |
Among its goals, the new state workgroup will review security funding on the local level, including how county governments, the courts, and local sheriff’s offices are using the funds. The workgroup includes judges from Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Sanford, Tallahassee and Tampa – providing a state-wide analysis free from the specifics of local areas.
Florida security concerns
Courthouse security is a big topic in Florida, based in part on an incident July 15. A shackled murder suspect escaped a Broward County courtroom, down a stairwell, out an emergency exit and into a waiting getaway car. He was recaptured six days later. Another factor is memory of the June 12 massacre at an Orlando nightclub where 49 people were killed. A big irony is that the perpetrator of that crime, Omar Mateen, was a security guard with G4S who formerly worked to secure courthouse facilities in downtown Fort Pierce, Florida.
Increasing resources
If not enough manpower is at the root of the problem, then more local funding will play a big part in any solution. Officials in Broward County point to the July 15 escape as proof that there simply isn’t enough manpower to protect courthouses.
The workgroup has also pledged to bring in additional resources as needed and is committed to a dialogue with all the involved parties.
If they need some extra help from security professionals, I know where some will be close by in a couple of weeks – at the ASIS International 2016 Seminar and Exhibits in Orlando, Sept. 12-15. Just saying.
