Knives find their way through court security

Friday, March 17, 2006 | 7:11 a.m.

In the last month two people have taken knives through the X-ray checkpoints at the new Regional Justice Center, raising questions about safety in the courthouse.

Court administrators defend the security system, saying the court system's track record, 20 years without a serious injury, is "unequivocal proof" that the courts are - and will continue to be - secure.

But the recent events have caused concern.

"What if someone does make it through security with a weapon and does have bad intentions?" asked Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman.

On Wednesday, bailiffs found a knife with a 3-inch blade on a woman being arrested in Zimmerman's courtroom.

Last month bailiffs took a slightly smaller knife from a man in Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Doug Smith's courtroom.

Zimmerman said she was "kind of surprised at how big the knife (found in her courtroom) was."

"I can't understand how it got past the screeners," she said. "Someone must have looked away or was distracted."

Court officials said no one at the security checkpoints saw the knife that ended up in Zimmerman's courtroom. They said the other knife got through because the X-ray machine wasn't calibrated correctly.

"We missed it," Assistant Court Administrator Michael Ware said of Wednesday's incident. "This lady had a knife in her purse, and it passed through our X-ray weapon detection system, and the bailiff didn't see anything that looked suspicious."

It's not the first time bailiffs have caught someone who walked through the checkpoints with a weapon. Before moving to the new building in October, a two-time felon walked through the old building's security checkpoint with a serrated switchblade.

Bailiffs took the knife from the man after he had words with a District Court judge.

"Does someone need to be hurt or killed to make a change in how we handle security?" Smith asked. "The problem is if they come in with a weapon and a bailiff turns their back and the guy cuts his throat and grabs his gun, then we have a real problem."

Ware, who said court administrators are on top of things, said security is regularly reviewed "to see if we can do it better."

Court Executive Officer Chuck Short said bailiffs will receive specialized training on the scanning equipment in the next month to re-enforce the training they received back in November. Bailiffs received a memo earlier this month reinforcing security practices they are expected to follow.

Short said officers are expected "to do their jobs 100 percent of the time." Ware said bailiffs are being "as diligent as possible and are being especially cautious during the busy morning and afternoon rushes."

The two checkpoints, which each have two X-ray machines and two metal detectors to screen roughly 6,000 people a day, have been beefed up with additional bailiffs during the hectic morning rush, Ware said.

He said that while the goal is to catch "100 percent of all weapons," Ware said the two recent incidents "might be the law of averages catching up with us."

If things go according to Short's plan, no serious incidents will occur anytime soon at the Regional Justice Center.

"When I leave here as court administrator, what I want to be my legacy is that no one was ever injured under my watch," Short said. "I'm proud to say that won't happen here, and I will do whatever is necessary to ensure it."

Zimmerman said she still feels safe in her courtroom because of her "hyper-vigilant" bailiff. She doesn't feel safe walking from the parking lot to the courthouse.

"We have a parking lot across the street from the courthouse, and any judge walking to and from their car to court is an easy target for anyone," Zimmerman said.

Short said the original design of the Regional Justice Center included a high-rise parking structure that featured a secured walkway to the second level of the courthouse for the judges.

The administrator said as the budget for the RJC continued to rise, the District Court judges voted against having the secured parking lot and accepted what is in place today.

Short said the judges might soon get the originally desired parking structure. The idea will soon be presented to the County Commission as part of an anticipated expansion of the new courthouse.