Court Security Assessments

Court Security Resources

Court Security Training

CODA Subcommittee

Lt. Jimmie Barrett, CODA Subcommittee Chairman

Arlington County Sheriffs' Office, Virginia

At the 2007 Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, The Court Officers and Deputies Association restructured itself within the National Sheriffs' Association to make it more responsive and efficient to the needs of its members. As a result of the restructuring, I believe that our members will see a new and more dynamic CODA providing more for its members. We live in an exciting time.  It is a time of change and a time for new beginnings. 

One of the primary reasons for CODA's existence is to provide quality training and act as a national resource for best practices in court security. One of the emerging issues in court security that is grabbing national attention is judicial security. With recent attacks on judges throughout the country such as Judge Barnes, Judge Lefkow, and Judge Weller, the national spotlight on courthouse security has become even more intense.

The United States Marshals Service is developing a National Center for Judicial Security for state and local officials. CODA/NSA will be there to act as a sounding board and resource. In addition, CODA is looking to host a training conference in the near future for its members. A variety of topics may include judicial threat management and the role of targeted violence, high risk high profile trials, their management, and tips on how to enhance your courthouse security when funds are not available.

We will be talking with leaders in the field of court security. They will be sharing their thoughts and insights on what they see as the latest trends and challenges the court security officers face today.

Court security is truly emerging as its own specialized profession. There are new opportunities on the horizon not yet known. As with any new profession, there are growing pains. That makes it even more critical for us to stay up on the latest techniques, trends, and standards to ensure that we are providing the best possible service to our courts and our country.

It is critical that court security officers continue to professionalize our emerging field. One such way is to become involved in CODA and help new officers learn how to mitigate and/or prevent potential threats. It is truly an honor to ensure that our third branch of government is safe from harm and that our citizens have a safe place to find justice.

I offer a definition for our profession that encapsulates the important role that our court security officers provide every day.

Court Security means an integrated approach to the judicial process that ensures the integrity and safety of the court system and its participants, by effectively evaluating, planning and pro-actively managing threats and potential threats directed toward the court system.

I am proud to call myself – a "Court Security Officer."