INDIANAPOLIS — Courtroom security is a huge focus right now across the country.
Cameras captured a man attacking a judge a couple weeks ago during sentencing in Las Vegas. Sadly, judges say this type of violence is on the rise.
It's not just happening in other parts of the country. Just 10 months ago, there was a violent incident in a Marion County courtroom.
So what's the status of court security right now?
Magistrate Judge Jason Reyome said attacks like the one that broke out during a paternity hearing last March are rare, despite what he calls a worrisome increase in court violence across the country.
But he said danger is still part of the job. It's why they're constantly working to beef up security for judges and the public.
Just in the past year, Reyome said most counties have complied with a requirement to submit written security plans for their courts. And court staff now meet daily to share their needs from the sheriff's department customizing security case by case.
A new pilot program is training not only judicial staff, but also officers, city councils and county commissioners on how to prevent violence in a courtroom.
"Threat responses, dealing with emergency situations, why money is needed for, say, a hand scanner or a metal detector, or the importance for spending money for something that may never happen, but then if it does, the spend is gonna be minimal," Reyome said. "Fortunately, Indiana hasn't really noticed that much of an uptick (in courtroom incidents), but yes, nationwide, it does seem like violent acts are on the rise."
And the reason for the increase?
"I'm really not sure," Reyome said. "I think just our society generally tends to handle things in a more violent manner."
The incident last March that turned chaotic during a paternity hearing happened when there was no deputy in the courtroom. It exposed security concerns about staffing for safety. At the time, the sheriff's department told 13News of staffing issues and that they were down 30 deputies. Now, they say they have 10 more working courts at the Community Justice Center here — but they are still short-staffed.