Reference no: EM133239513

Assignment - Courthouse Case Study

Description - Instructions - You are working at the securi sctyreening area of the Montgomery County Courthouse. During roll call today, your lieutenant advised that they had received an anonymous tip that a convicted murderer "was going to receive a sentence that the judge did not see coming." Because of this, you and your colleagues are on high alert for anything suspicious.

While at your post, you notice a man standing outside the door to the courthouse, smoking a cigarette and looking in at the screening area. He is wearing a cast on his lower right leg and a neck brace. He appears to be nervous and unkempt. He walks into the screening area and introduces himself as Mr. Midas. He begins to joke with the others at your post about how he fell off his scooter and broke his leg. He also was diagnosed with a neck sprain. As he is walking through the metal detector, the alarm goes off. When the alarm goes off, Mr. Midas explains that he has a rod in his leg and points to his cast. He is allowed to enter the building without any additional screening although the alarm is sensing that the metal is coming from his left leg. Additionally, the metal detector has not been serviced in more than three years because of budget cuts.

Mr. Midas walks into the courtroom and asks the stenographer which side of the courtroom is for the "killer." She points to her left. Mr. Midas goes and sits in the first row directly behind where the defendant will eventually sit. Shortly thereafter, the defendant arrives at court in his orange jumpsuit. He is not cuffed because the deputies are familiar with the defendant and feel like he does not pose a risk.

The defendant sits at the table directly in front of Mr. Midas. The bailiff enters the court from the same hallway as everyone else with the judge in tow. As the bailiff walks to the front of the courtroom, he yells out "all rise, the court is now in session." As everyone stands, Mr. Midas reaches into his cast and pulls out a Glock 22 and a knife. Mr. Midas shoots the bailiff and tosses the knife to the defendant. Mr. Midas continues to shoot and the defendant stabs his lawyers and gives chase to the judge who can only leave via the main entrance. No doors leading out of the courtroom have crash bars, the bailiff who is seriously wounded does not have a radio, and the judge does not have a panic alarm. Again, the only way for anyone, including the judge, to exit the courtroom is via the main entrance, which cannot be used because of the injured piling up near the door. Because there has never been any training, the court staff do not know what to do in this situation so they do not move. Some of the issues to consider include the following items.

Questions -

Q1. What are some of the opportunities missed in the case?

Q2. What are some examples of complacency?

Q3. What were some of the possible breaches to security?

Q4. How would training have saved lives here?

Q5. What architectural opportunities are there?