Our discussion centered around the concern that the Sheriff's Office is not able to consistently provide the amount of deputies needed for courtroom (and courthouse) security based on the expectation of some of the Judges and by direct observance from the supervisory staff of the Sheriff's Office. It is also a concern among the supervisory staff of the SO that the Sheriff's Office is not adequately staffed to handle other areas of courthouse security on certain days such as security screening, inmate transports, holding cell supervision, video monitoring, and parking deck security. We discussed that the amount of security needed for the higher courts (superior) has a direct effect on the availability of security for the lower courts and the other named areas, and thus all are interrelated in terms of security.
We continued our discussion on the need to schedule inmate court appearances/trials among the courts in such a manner that it is better coordinated to lessen those instances where a large volume of inmates are present at the courthouse at one time. This is being monitored at the present time as a result of discussions in previous meetings. It is of the opinion from staff of the Sheriff's Office that optimal coordination among the courts regarding inmate court appearances would be very helpful and result in a safer courthouse, but will not fully solve the staffing issues.
We discussed the option of transferring additional deputies into the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit from other sections and units of the Sheriff's Office. Often we have to pull deputies from the Warrant/Civil Unit to supplement the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit. Over time this results in a lack of production from the Unit that's being borrowed from and is therefore not a long term, viable solution to the problem. As far as reassigning additional deputies to the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit from other sections, we are minimally staffed in these other sections and are unable to reassign deputies.
We discussed a recommendation from the Sheriff's Office that a staffing analysis be conducted to determine the staffing needs of the courts and to determine the staffing needs for providing adequate security for the courthouse which includes security screening, inmate transports, holding cell supervision, video monitoring, and parking deck security. We discussed the importance of finding an independent entity with courthouse/courtroom security knowledge to conduct the study for objectivity purposes. It was agreed that the court administrators would take the lead in identifying this entity.
Please let me know if you see any problems with this information, or want to add or clarify any of the information.
Our discussion centered around the concern that the Sheriff's Office is not able to consistently provide the amount of deputies needed for courtroom (and courthouse) security based on the expectation of some of the Judges and by direct observance from the supervisory staff of the Sheriff's Office. It is also a concern among the supervisory staff of the SO that the Sheriff's Office is not adequately staffed to handle other areas of courthouse security on certain days such as security screening, inmate transports, holding cell supervision, video monitoring, and parking deck security. We discussed that the amount of security needed for the higher courts (superior) has a direct effect on the availability of security for the lower courts and the other named areas, and thus all are interrelated in terms of security.
We continued our discussion on the need to schedule inmate court appearances/trials among the courts in such a manner that it is better coordinated to lessen those instances where a large volume of inmates are present at the courthouse at one time. This is being monitored at the present time as a result of discussions in previous meetings. It is of the opinion from staff of the Sheriff's Office that optimal coordination among the courts regarding inmate court appearances would be very helpful and result in a safer courthouse, but will not fully solve the staffing issues.
We discussed the option of transferring additional deputies into the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit from other sections and units of the Sheriff's Office. Often we have to pull deputies from the Warrant/Civil Unit to supplement the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit. Over time this results in a lack of production from the Unit that's being borrowed from and is therefore not a long term, viable solution to the problem. As far as reassigning additional deputies to the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit from other sections, we are minimally staffed in these other sections and are unable to reassign deputies.
We discussed a recommendation from the Sheriff's Office that a staffing analysis be conducted to determine the staffing needs of the courts and to determine the staffing needs for providing adequate security for the courthouse which includes security screening, inmate transports, holding cell supervision, video monitoring, and parking deck security. We discussed the importance of finding an independent entity with courthouse/courtroom security knowledge to conduct the study for objectivity purposes. It was agreed that the court administrators would take the lead in identifying this entity.
Please let me know if you see any problems with this information, or want to add or clarify any of the information.
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The number of deputies needed to adequately secure our courtrooms, including our courthouse and surrounding parking facility based on current workload;
Best practices for deploying, utilizing, and scheduling deputies in all areas of courtroom/courthouse security;
Proper supervisor to deputy ratios by reviewing our organizational structure within our Courtroom/Courthouse Security Unit;
The use of technology, such as video bond hearing and video arraignment, and how this would impact the need for additional staffing.
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a:28:{s:32:"field_what_event_has_occurred_th";s:540:"The Sheriff's Office is not able to consistently provide the amount of deputies needed for courtroom (and courthouse) security based on the expectation of some of the Judges and by direct observance from the supervisory staff of the Sheriff's Office. It is also a concern among the supervisory staff of the SO that the Sheriff's Office is not adequately staffed to handle other areas of courthouse security on certain days such as security screening, inmate transports, holding cell supervision, video monitoring, and parking deck security.";s:32:"field_what_do_you_want_to_achiev";s:354:"A study conducted on the staff allocations of Athens-Clarke County law enforcement personnel. As a result of the study, a report would be made with recommendations for change related to staffing levels, security procedures, and scheduling procedures which the county can follow to ensure law enforcement officials are utilized correctly in the community.";s:32:"field_what_will_happen_if_this_n";s:287:"The deputies and law enforcement officials in the county will continue to be pulled from other units to the courthouse due to poor scheduling which results in a high volume of inmates with hearings at the same time. This poses a security issue as well as a staffing issue for the county.";s:32:"field_what_is_the_gap_between_wh";s:3:"N/A";s:32:"field_do_you_have_any_data_to_su";s:494:"Often the county pulls deputies from the Warrant/Civil Unit to supplement the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit. Over time this results in a lack of production from the Unit that's being borrowed from and is therefore not a long term, viable solution to the problem. As far as reassigning additional deputies to the Courthouse/Courtroom Security Unit from other sections, they are minimally staffed in these other sections and are unable to reassign deputies.
Additional documents attached.";s:32:"field_have_there_been_previous_a";s:258:"There have been continued discussions on the need to schedule inmate court appearances/trials among the courts in such a manner that it is better coordinated to lessen those instances where a large volume of inmates are present at the courthouse at one time.";s:32:"field_have_you_sought_tta_before";s:3:"No.";s:32:"field_who_will_assume_leadership";s:53:"Laura Welch of Athens-Clarke County local government.";s:32:"field_how_did_you_learn_about_nt";s:89:"Learned about BJA NTTAC through the district court administrator of Athens-Clarke County.";s:32:"field_what_are_your_organization";s:364:"Athens-Clarke County has had numerous discussions on the need to schedule inmate court appearances/trials among the courts in such a manner that it is better coordinated to lessen those instances where a large volume of inmates are present at the courthouse at one time. This is being monitored at the present time as a result of discussions in previous meetings. ";s:32:"field_what_are_organization_s_we";s:422:"The Athens-Clarke County Sheriff's Office is not able to consistently provide the amount of deputies needed for courtroom and courthouse security. Law enforcement officials are pulled from other field areas to aid in bringing inmates to court hearings but this creates an issue of understaffing in other areas of the department. It also creates a security risk with so many inmates being present in the courthouse at once.";s:32:"field_what_opportunities_does_th";s:421:"The county is in the process of building a new jail and with their already understaffed department they need someone to come in assesses the staffing situation and provide suggestions on ways to improve the allocation of law enforcement personnel and provide them with recommendations to better their security and scheduling procedures to avoid large numbers of inmates being scheduled for court hearings on the same day.";s:32:"field_what_are_the_challenges_th";s:295:"The lack of staff available to cover all police staff functions in the county. They are looking to establish ways that they can minimize the use of staff through better scheduling and coordination by judges so that not all deputies are being taking away at once for court appearances by inmates.";s:32:"field_how_will_this_technical_as";s:561:"Currently Athens-Clarke County pulls deputies from other units to help with the large volume of inmate court appearances. This results in a lack of production from the unit that's being borrowed from and is therefore not a long term, viable solution to the problem. With an adequete study done on the department and recommendations given the deputies and law enforcement officials can better manage the needs of the county and provide for a safer community and better security measures for law enforcement personnel when bringing the inmates to the courthouse. ";s:32:"field_what_is_your_overarching_g";s:614:"A recommendation from the Sheriff's Office that a staffing analysis be conducted to determine the staffing needs of the courts and to determine the staffing needs for providing adequate security for the courthouse which includes security screening, inmate transports, holding cell supervision, video monitoring, and parking deck security. They discussed the importance of finding an independent entity with courthouse/courtroom security knowledge to conduct the study for objectivity purposes. They requested American University, a BJA grantee provider, to provide the study and recommendations for the department.";s:32:"field_please_list_at_least_two_o";s:3:"N/A";s:32:"field_as_a_result_of_this_tta_wh";s:261:"As a result of the study, a report would be made with recommendations for change related to staffing levels, security procedures, and scheduling procedures which the county can follow to ensure law enforcement officials are utilized correctly in the community. ";s:32:"field_who_will_be_participating_";s:84:"• Administrators
• Court Personnel
• Judges
• Law Enforcement Personnel
";s:32:"field_what_do_participants_need_";s:3:"N/A";s:32:"field_what_activities_experience";s:3:"N/A";s:32:"field_who_supports_you_in_this_e";s:51:"Athens-Clarke County District Court Administrator. ";s:32:"field_who_are_key_stakeholders_i";s:47:"Athens-Clarke County law enforcement officials.";s:32:"field_who_are_key_stakeholders_p";s:58:"Athens-Clarke County law enforcement officials and judges.";s:32:"field_who_are_key_stakeholders_o";s:3:"N/A";s:32:"field_how_open_are_the_key_stake";s:38:"Athens-Clarke County local government.";s:32:"field_are_there_any_local_govern";s:3:"N/A";s:32:"field_how_will_your_organization";s:3:"N/A";s:32:"field_what_other_resources_do_yo";s:3:"N/A";}