Court Security in the News
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Lt Barrett quoted in the News & Online
July 2010 - Wisconsin Lawyer magazine
Book Review
Protecting Court: A Practitioner’s Guide to Court Security, although written more for court-security planners and professionals than for judges or lawyers, is a good overview of the security issues faced by courts….The book also serves as a good primer for court-security officers on courtroom tactics, such as where to position themselves in relation to other people and what behaviors might suggest an impending disturbance or escape attempt…the book is valuable and should be consulted by court-security professionals.
Reviewed in the Wisconsin Lawyer Vol 83, No. 7, July 2010 by Jason Hanson, U.W. 1998, presides over family, small-claims, criminal, traffic, ordinance, and mental health cases as a Dane County circuit court commissioner.
Full Book Review at:
April 9, 2010 - Hutchnews.com - Hutchinson, Kansas
Jury's still out on courthouse safety
"Arlington County's Barrett said he always tells people the one place people need to feel safe and be safe is in the courthouse. Because if they're not, will they want to be judges and lawyers, or testify in court or serve on a jury? Barrett asked. The Implications are quite severe if you do not feel safe in your courthouse, Barrett said."
http://www.hutchnews.com/Todaystop/courthouse-security-story-y--2
January 27, 2010 - Las Vegas Review Journal
North Las Vegas prosecutors have a good reason to ride the bus
"Parking is always a critical aspect of court security," Lt. Jimmie H. Barrett Jr. says. An 18-year law enforcement veteran, Barrett supervises security at the Arlington County (Va.) Courthouse and is the author of "Protecting Court: A Practitioner's Guide to Court Security." "You always want to ensure that you don't mix areas where people may come into contact with each other who may not feel very positive toward each other."
January 5, 2010 - The Christian Science Monitor
Las Vegas shooting: rage against the courts
...Threat assessment is "the part that we have to work a lot harder on, but it also takes a lot more resources, time, and funding,” says Lt. Jimmie Barrett, a court security supervisor in Arlington, Va., and author of “Protecting Court: A Practitioner’s Guide to Court Security.”
...In the case of the Las Vegas shooting, the security at the courthouse worked, says Lieutenant Barrett, to the extent that it prevented the gunman from getting past the metal detectors and keeping others in the courthouse safe. But, he adds, “There is a point where you are not going to be able to prevent everything."
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0105/Las-Vegas-shooting-rage-against-the-courts
January 5, 2010 - SecurityInfoWatch.com
Q&A: Court security with author and expert Lt. Jimmie Barrett
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/qa-court-security-with-author-and-expert-lt-jimmie-barrett
December 21, 2009 - Phoenix New Times News
Is Nothing Sacred?: Apparently Not in Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas' Wacked Legal World
...Lieutenant Jimmie Barrett Jr. has been court supervisor for the Arlington, Virginia Sheriff's Office since 2000. He is the author of Protecting Court, a bible for many in the business of courthouse security...
November 16, 2009 - Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Risk reduction: Security steps may be inconvenient, but they heighten court safety
Lt. Jimmie Barrett, who heads court security for the Arlington County Sheriff's Department, was so inspired by his work on the judicial security initiative that he authored a colorful and informative book called "Protecting Court."
October 28, 2009 - Simple Justice: A New York Criminal Defense Blog
Book Review: Protecting Court
Lt. Jimmie Barrett wrote one great book. Protecting Court is primarily a "how-to" manual for best practices in running a court, from the courthouse to the courtroom, and everything in between. The book is written in a very straight forward, clear and concise manner, easy and quick to read. And peppered throughout with historical examples showing the need for various types of security measures and the consequences of lax security...
http://blog.simplejustice.us/2009/10/27/book-review-protecting-court.aspx?view=threaded
September 2, 2009 - Sun Herald
Court Security Officers Train in Biloxi, Personnel come from three states.
July 13, 2009 - Daily Business Review - Law.com
U.S. Marshals Discuss New Courthouse Security Efforts at National Conference
...as Barrett noted, wristwatches available on the Internet can record video and audio. They have been used in gang trials to photograph jurors and undercover officers, and posted on the Internet as an intimidation tool.
June 11, 2009 - Washingtonpost.
Guarding the Halls of Justice Against an Escalating Threat:
Arlington Courthouse Security Chief Hopes to Fill "Vacuum" with Book.
When a federal judge's husband and mother were slain in their Chicago home, Lt. Jimmie H. Barrett of the Arlington County Sheriff's Office took it personally -- and it transformed him professionally....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/09/AR2009060903669.html
March 14, 2005 - ABC News
Recent Violence Spotlights Judges' Vulnerability
Safety Precautions Are Nothing New to Those on the Bench
Jimmie Barrett, court security supervisor with the Arlington County, Va., sheriff's office and vice president of the Affiliated Court Officers and Deputies Association, said a key for protection is to assess what kinds of cases are on each day's dockets, though it's not an exact science. "It's very subjective," he said. "It depends on each case. Obviously, with charges of capital murder, child molestations, rape, you know there are going to be sensitive issues. [With a] child custody or divorce case, it's harder to assess. You rely on attorneys."
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