By Lee Lofland © 2005
Recently in Atlanta, Georgia, a suspect overpowered a deputy sheriff, took her key to a secured weapons lockbox, removed her sidearm from the box and killed three people — all were law-enforcement officers. I, too, have been in scuffles where a suspect attempted to remove my weapon from its holster. It's a horrifying experience, and police officers are quite often faced with similar scenarios. Given the amount and type of training offered to deputy sheriffs — those responsible for our courts' security - disasters such as this one can occur anywhere and at any time. The murders that recently occurred in the Atlanta courtroom should not have come as a great surprise to the law-enforcement community.
The safety and protection of county and city courts is the responsibility of local sheriffs. They are elected officials and answer to no one, other than to the voters every four years. They assist in setting the standards and the levels of training for their deputies, who incidentally are appointed by the sheriff, not hired, and they can be dismissed for any reason without recourse or grievance.
Not all sheriffs' offices are responsible for police patrol and investigations; therefore, not all deputy sheriffs are certified police officers. Some — jailers — are assigned to work as correctional deputies in county and city jails, and some are required to work as courtroom security officers. Their training is limited and is geared strictly to those assignments. These deputies do a wonderful job, and they are professionals, but they are sometimes expected to perform beyond the scope of their training.
Jailers are trained to supervise inmates within the corrections environment. They are taught to search cells, assess suspicious prisoner activity, and oversee work details. Courtroom-security officers are trained to handle the everyday disturbances found within a courtroom setting. They serve as bailiffs, maintaining order and quiet, and act as liaisons between the judge and attorneys. Courtroom-security deputies also preserve the integrity of trial documents and evidence. Neither of these officers expects to deal with a firearm-wielding suspect.
Police officers, unlike these deputies, are trained extensively in weapons retention maintaining control of their firearms; they even wear security holsters that require them to perform a certain procedure to draw their weapon. They are taught how to deal effectively with armed suspects and, in the field, they are often confronted with weapon-carrying suspects as part of their regular routine. A police officer is trained to never, under any circumstance, give up his weapon to a suspect.
In the Atlanta situation, a lone female officer who stands less than five-feet tall was charged with guarding a more than 200-pound male inmate who has a proven history of violence. A few days earlier he had attempted to smuggle homemade weapons into the courthouse. The shooting incident could have been easily prevented with proper training for the deputies, and by having another officer assist with escorting this inmate to the courtroom. It is the policy of most police and sheriff's departments to use a minimum of two officers when escorting potentially violent prisoners.
All front-line officers do the best they can with what they have and with the training they are provided. My heart goes out to those who protect us everyday.
Until next time, I'm 10-7, out of service.
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