Court Security
While state law makes county sheriffs responsible for providing security to Kentucky courts, Court Security Services of the Administrative Office of the Courts plays an important role in supplementing local security services statewide.
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About Court Security... |
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Court Security Services assists sheriffs’ offices by providing security equipment and additional personnel for high-profile trials, inspecting court facilities and recommending needed changes, and conducting training for sheriffs and their deputies.
Court Security Services also provides security when Kentucky judges gather for educational conferences and for all sessions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals.
The majority of Court Security officers are certified as police instructors by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, which governs training for all of the state's law enforcement personnel. The officers teach courses in Court Security Procedures and High-Risk Trial Planning several times a year across the state at the request of local sheriffs.
As violence against courts and judges increases nationwide and criminal trials become more dangerous and complex, Kentucky must provide a safe environment for those who participate in the judicial process. To that end, Chief Justice Lambert formed a Court Security Task Force in 2001 to examine security issues facing our state courts and propose appropriate solutions.
As a result, Court Security Services conducted security assessments on every courthouse and justice center in the state in an effort to assign one of three levels of security to each building and determine the cost to implement security recommendations. This 2005 survey has given Kentucky’s court system its first comprehensive analysis of security needs statewide.
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