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Court security to be studied
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
Updated: Apr. 10, 2012 | 10:32 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Judges throughout Nevada will conduct studies to determine whether additional security measures should be taken at local and state courthouses, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Parraguirre announced Thursday.
"We have seen what can occur, and we need to be sure we can protect our judges, court staff and citizens," Parraguirre said.
The announcement comes after Monday's gunbattle at the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse in Las Vegas in which two people were killed, including a security officer.
Marshals and security officers fired 81 shots at a fleeing, shotgun-wielding man who had shot and killed Stan Cooper, 72, inside the courthouse and wounded deputy U.S. marshal Richard "Joe" Gardner, 48.
The assailant, Johnny Lee Wicks, 66, ended up dead next to the historic Fifth Street School across the street from the courthouse.
Federal authorities already are conducting a nationwide review of federal courthouse security as the result of the shootout.
"The incident in Las Vegas shows that we must be attentive, responsive and prepared," Parraguirre said. "Courts across the country, including those in Nevada, have experienced an increase in threats to judges in recent years.
"We can't and don't take those threats lightly."
A bill sought by the court system that passed in the 2009 Legislature boosted the filing fee on civil cases by $20 to provide resources for court security improvements.
In Elko, the funds are being used to purchase metal detectors and an X-ray scanner for the courthouse.
Because of security concerns, the Supreme Court earlier provided metal detectors to rural courts in Wells and Jackpot.
"Many of Nevada's rural counties have aging courthouses that were not constructed to cope with today's security concerns," Parraguirre said. "And even in the state's more populous counties, the courts struggle every day to provide adequate protection for those who work in and visit the facilities."
Besides county and city courts, the security study also will look at security at the state Supreme Court Building in Carson City.
Parraguirre will ask the U.S. Marshal's Service to assist in the study.
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.
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To: The cop haters and the uniformed taxpayer.
Fasten your safety belts folks, the best is yet to come.
Amid the cutbacks proposed for Law Enforcement (personnel and equipment), the idea of "doing more with less", has new meaning, especially when you consider the graft and corruption that has been going on for years, within the organization.
Crime has no boundaries, no time limit, no severity limits and is totally unpredictable as are humans, although some people would have you believe that it could all be handled by computer and technology. (What a laugh).
Plain old shoe leather, common sense, and the will and dedication by fiercely honorable oath keepers can keep our community safe, and enforce the law.
Trust and support your law enforcement officers and you will reap what you sow.
just an old cop reflecting,
Gordon Martines
I want to know how it could be that the police fired 81 shots at this man and only hit him twice. Amazing!
Sidewalk security would already be in place if it didn't make the guards easier targets.
They want to conduct another study as cover for more funding authorizations. They must be protected from the unwashed public at all costs.
Why is yet another useless, money-wasting study being considered? The security at the courthouse worked. The lunatic could not have gotten into the place because he wouldn't have made it through the metal detectors. What else do they think could have been done? Are they going to frisk everyone on the sidewalk outside the place? That's the only way they could have caught this maniac before he entered the doors.