NCJ Number
203704
Date Published
2002
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This document provides an overview of the Ohio Court Security Training Program.
Abstract
The Ohio Court Security Training Seminars were geared for all personnel working in the courthouses across the State. The program was designed to educate court personnel about basic security issues, help staff identify early warning signs and potentially dangerous individuals, and evaluate threatening phone calls or letters and bomb threats for severity and potential violence. Through the assistance of an interactive video and a live speaker, individuals learned to de-escalate threats of violence in crisis situations and plan security measures for their courthouse. The training also provided an opportunity for personnel to convey their ideas and concerns about security and safety in their own court. The program was offered at each county throughout the State with a central court acting as host of the program. The training program was an overall success with more than 8,000 personnel trained and over 15,000 safety booklets distributed to the courts and other offices. The training appeared to be most effective in the medium to small counties. While most of the courts statewide accepted the program, some appeared to comply with the requirement to train their staff in order to receive the grant funds. There were six targets and site specific recommendations based on the training seminar. The first recommendation was controlling all points of entrance and exits and closing down all entrances but one for public use. The second was the placement of duress alarms in all areas of the court-courthouse where personnel can easily access them. The third was creating effective policies, procedures, and training for all site employees that cover normal everyday events. Manning the court-courthouse with at least one specifically trained person in court security operation was the fourth recommendation. The final recommendations were making improvements to the court that are low cost and simple to implement; and making sure that each site is designed for safety including smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.