Threats against judges increasing

Date: 25/03/2005
Source: The Patriot-News
Author: JACK SHERZER

It started as a relatively routine civil case that ended with a Harrisburg-area man being ordered to pay almost $8,000.

But soon the man began making threatening calls to the judge and posting fliers near the courthouse. Eventually, he was found guilty of stalking and harassment and served almost three years in state prison.

The case began just over a year after Dauphin County Judge Jeannine Turgeon came on the bench in 1992.

"You always say it will never happen to me, it's just something you read about in the newspapers," Turgeon said. "Because of that experience, I have a heightened awareness, and lots of judges call me when they are having trouble; I think it made me a stronger person."

In the past month, a federal judge's family in Chicago was slain and an escaped prisoner on his way to an Atlanta courtroom was accused of taking a deputy's gun and killing four people, including a judge.

Most courthouses have plenty of security, and there were errors made in Atlanta that are correctable. Not so in Chicago. That's why the Chicago case most worries judges and those who protect them.

The murders of the husband and mother of federal Judge Joan Lefkow in her home were eventually linked to a disgruntled plaintiff whose lawsuit over failed cancer treatment was dismissed by Lefkow.

"Everyone wonders, 'Aren't you worried about the murderers and the drug dealers?' Frankly, they are not the ones you need to worry about," Turgeon said. "You need to worry about the ones that have mental issues."

Attacks on judges in this country are rare. Since 1974, three federal judges and six state judges have been murdered nationwide.

Some judges and law enforcement officials said even the bad guys generally believe they get a fair shake in America's courts, and it's that belief and the respectful way they're treated that keeps thoughts of retaliation away. Plus, when there is an attack, such as in the Lefkow case, there is a powerful response that serves as a deterrent, they said.

According to the U.S. Marshal's Service, which protects federal judges, about 700 threats or "inappropriate communications" are received by federal judges each year.

That's up from about 200 threats a year two decades ago. The U.S. Secret Service has a threat assessment center that studies judicial safety, but officials with the agency refused to discuss the issue.

The Marshal's Service won't say how many of the threats appear serious or result in prosecutions, but they said that in 2003, the agency provided protective details for 20 federal judges and prosecutors.

Michael Regan, the U.S. marshal for Pennsylvania's Middle District, which covers the Harrisburg area, said the agency spends a lot of time studying judicial safety. He said it also stresses vigilance to the judges.

"A lot of times we want the judges to rely on their gut feelings about people, and if there is a case they feel uncomfortable with, to advise us. They generally do," he said.

Regan said the Chicago case shows the need for caution. "You just never know who you are dealing with and what their state of mind is."

In Pennsylvania, the state courts started looking at judicial security in 1999.

The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts commissioned a study that found 52 percent of 1,029 judges responding reported some level of inappropriate or threatening contact, and 1.2 percent said they had been assaulted.

Neither federal nor state judges routinely receive protection outside of the workplace. Protection is only offered when it is thought a threat warrants it.

Federal Judge Sylvia Rambo said threats go "with the job." The former chief judge for the Middle District, Rambo said she has received three or four threats she considered serious, including one when marshal protection was offered.

"I turned it down," Rambo said. "I didn't want to start, every time I had a threat, of running to the marshals and saying, 'Hey, I need protection.' I didn't think it had reached a point where I felt I really needed it."

Thomas I. Vanaskie, chief judge for the Middle District, said he accepted protection for about two weeks after receiving threatening letters following his stay of an execution for a state prisoner.

A federal judge for 11 years, Vanaskie said the incident occurred in his first eight months on the bench. While it didn't alter the way he conducted court business, it raised concern for his family, and they got an unlisted phone number.

Vanaskie said he thinks more security outside the courthouse is necessary.

"My feeling is if it's my office that puts me at risk, then security should be provided -- not in terms of [bodyguards], but in terms of a home security system," Vanaskie said. "Something that's tied into the marshal's service."

While counties in Pennsylvania are responsible for courthouse security, the state has concentrated on district judges.

This year, the AOPC made $4.4 million available to counties for basic security upgrades, primarily the installation of bullet-proof glass at counters to protect staff, alarm systems and devices such as special chairs that can accommodate restraints for securing prisoners.

Later this year, district judges will be able to report incidents to the agency via a computerized system, said Art Heinz, an AOPC spokesman. By mid-2006, the system should include all of Pennsylvania's courts. Heinz said the idea is to collect the information to determine what other security improvements are needed.

Heinz said AOPC will look at county courthouse security soon.

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