Earlier this year, a man who lost a Social Security claim opened fire with a shotgun in a Las Vegas federal courthouse, killing a security officer and injuring a deputy marshal.  

Closer to home, a Tyler, Texas, woman was killed by her ex-husband in 2005 when she arrived at the courthouse for a hearing on child support.

Cases like these - financial, civil, and criminal - play out every day in local courthouses. That's why Sheriff's Offices must be prepared to do all they can to protect courthouse workers, citizens, and users of the justice system, said Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator.  

This Saturday, April 17, Prator and the Caddo Sheriff's Office will host a court security training seminar offered by the National Sheriff's Association. Fifty deputies from across the state and Arizona are registered to participate.

National instructors will cover topics including:  

• Understanding the need for facility and individual vulnerability assessment;
• Knowing current courtroom security standards of practice;
• Understanding the need for professional awareness, including officer awareness and safety;
• Understanding the basic dynamics and operations needed in planning a high risk/high profile trial; and
• Understanding the basic need for advance planning for emergency events such as hostage situations and building evacuations.

  For more information or to register, contact Andrea Samuels at the Academy at 681-0735.