A New Hampshire Supreme Court committee has recommended that immediate steps be taken to improve security at courthouses statewide, including installation of “duress alarms” for court security officers, improved camera surveillance and greater use of video arraignments to cut down on security risks and costs in transporting prisoners.    

The 22-member committee said that court security decision-making should be centralized under the authority of the Court Accreditation Commission, which by law oversees operation and expenses of court facilities. Currently security coverage for 11 Superior Court locations is supplied by the county sheriffs’ departments. Security for all district courts, and for two probate courts is provided by Judicial Branch Court Security Officers, under the direction of the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The committee also proposed that the state legislature consider a new law that would make it a criminal offense to threaten or harm certain public officials, including judges, marital masters and court employees.

For the long term, the committee recommended that the AOC create a capital improvement plan based on security recommendations proposed by the judicial branch administrative judges and that work begin with the Governor and legislature to obtain funding for needed changes.

The “N.H. Supreme Court Committee on Court Security” was established by the Supreme Court in March 2005 to assess security needs and propose improvements. The committee was chaired by Associate Supreme Court Justice Richard E. Galway and Earl M. Sweeney, the former director of N.H. Police Standards and Training who is now assistant commissioner of the Department of Safety.

In its report, the committee also recommended that full-time professional security officers should be responsible for court security throughout the state. Right now, there are 14 full-time and 121 part-time court security officers working in the 40 court locations around the state as part of the security staff directed by the AOC.  Most bailiffs assigned by the sheriffs’ departments to Superior Court locations are part-time employees.

The committee also recommended system wide standardization of criteria for weapons’ training and physical abilities for security officers. The committee suggested that the state Police Standards and Training Council develop and administer such a program for all court security personnel, with the approval of the Supreme Court.

A copy of the committee report is available on the Judicial Branch website at www.courts.state.nh.us/cio/index.htm#reports/policies. A March 29, 2005 press release about the establishment of the committee (formerly known as the “task force”) is available at www.courts.state.nh.us/press/index.htm.

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