I’d like to thank both Judge Lloyd Zimmerman and advocate Sue Lantto for using their positions at the Brookdale courthouse to educate the public on the need for greater courtroom security and for demanding that measures be taken.

WATCH, a court monitoring and research organization, conducted a two-year study of Hennepin County’s three suburban courts releasing the report, “Promoting Victim Safety and Offender Accountability: Improving the Response to Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Cases,” in April, 2011. One recommendation was to install weapons screening, and since that time we have made it one of our organization’s primary goals to advocate for improvements in courtroom security.

Our call for improvements received little notice because, unfortunately, security isn’t a big deal until there is a tragedy. Finally, and sadly, with the shooting in Grand Marais and the demand by Judge Zimmerman that Hennepin County upgrade security at the three suburban courtrooms, it has become a focus of the public.

As citizen courtroom monitors, WATCH volunteers provide a unique perspective on our courtrooms – often they are the only ones in the courtroom without an interest in a specific outcome. In part, they observe and document the courtroom environment, including the demeanor of courtroom personnel, defendants, and those present in the gallery, which routinely include victims, family members and children. The lack of weapons screening or other safety measures was a concern highlighted in monitoring forms throughout the course of the study.

'In sum, security was lacking'
A few of our monitors' comments include:

There should be a metal detector to screen everyone who enters the courtrooms. Some of the defendants were obviously angry and could pose a threat, despite the presence of deputies – that is when the deputies were in the courtroom. In sum, security was lacking, except for in-custody cases.

A defendant approached the clerk and was quite insistent that she do something for him, which she refused to do. She told him his attorney would have to take care of it. He became very incensed and she remained very assertive. I was concerned for her safety, and the deputy who had been sitting next to her was gone.

In response to Judge Zimmerman's demand for increased security, Hennepin County court administration responded by indicating that each courtroom is staffed with armed deputies ("Citing weapon risks, Hennepin County judge says no to 3 courtrooms," Jan. 5). However, WATCH monitors noted that deputies were only in the courtroom sporadically, and several minutes may go by without one present. Advocates have told WATCH that both they and prosecutors at times feel unsafe and that deputies "are never close enough to stop anything" from happening in the courtroom or waiting areas.

The deputies popped their heads in and out of the courtroom and were not present when the judge was on the bench.

The clerk spent nearly 15 minutes looking for a deputy so she could call the in-custody cases.

Studying the security gaps
WATCH staff has contacted administration of the Minnesota Supreme Court to find out the number of courtrooms around the state that do not have weapons screening, but were told that they did not have that information readily available. We have taken on the task of finding out, contacting courthouses around the state in an effort to better understand the security gaps. But this takes some time and, unfortunately, it is a back-burner issue until a fire is ignited, all too frequently because of the sort of violence that occurred in December in Grand Marais.

We need to seize this current opportunity, when Judge Zimmerman and others are taking a stand, to increase security measures now. District Court should take a long-term approach to ensure that it is providing the security measures needed for each of the three suburban courthouses. But in the meantime, it should also provide increased security by using metal-detecting wands and the portable weapons-screening units Sheriff Stanek indicated were available. This is the minimum level of security that everyone deserves.

Marna Anderson is the executive director of Minneapolis-based WATCH,whose mission is "to make the justice system more effective and responsive in handling cases of violence, particularly against women and children, and to create a more informed and involved public."