IN THE CIRCUIT
COURT, SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
IN AND
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 2008-002 PI-CIR
RE: COURT SECURITY
Pursuant to section 30.15(1)(c), Florida Statutes, the Sheriff, in person or by deputy, shall attend all terms of the circuit court and county court held in their counties; and
Pursuant to section 30.501, Florida Statutes, the Sheriff may be ordered to provide security to sequestered juries; and
In order to promote the safety and
security of all court facilities and proceedings in
In order to assist the Chief Judge, the Circuit Court Judges, the County Court Judges and the Sheriff in carrying out their respective constitutional and statutory duties, it is
ORDERED:
1. The Sheriff of Pinellas County shall provide security for all circuit court and county court proceedings including, but not limited to:
a. all trials and hearings conducted by judges unless otherwise directed by the judge, and
b. all proceedings or hearings of general and
special magistrates, hearing officers, arbitrators, and mediators (excluding
private arbitrators and mediators), unless otherwise directed by the magistrate,
hearing officer, arbitrator, or mediator.
2. Except for judges, bailiffs, and law
enforcement officers as provided in paragraph 3, no person possessing a
firearm, knife, mace, pepper spray or dangerous weapon may enter or occupy a
courtroom, hearing room, or the court area in a court facility building.
3. Because the Sheriff of Pinellas County is
charged with securing the courthouses in this County, Pinellas deputy sheriffs
are exempt from the prohibition in paragraph 2 provided:
a. the officer is in a recognized
Sheriff’s Office uniform,
b. the officer is in the courthouse
on official business,
c. the officer displays appropriate
identification, and
d. any firearm in possession of the
officer is in a secure holster.
4. The Sheriff of Pinellas County shall take such reasonable steps as are necessary to ensure that no firearms, knives, mace, pepper spray or other dangerous weapons are being concealed by any individuals entering courtrooms, hearing rooms, or the court area in any court facility building, except as authorized in this Administrative Order. These steps may include but are not limited to use of facial recognition systems, metal detection devices, hand-held electronic scanning devices, personal or other searches by official law enforcement officers, pat-down or other search by security officers with consent of the person. If a person refuses the request of a law enforcement officer to submit to any security measure, the person may be denied access beyond the security device in the courthouse.
5. If a person who is entering the courthouse
is taken into custody, the bailiff shall take all reasonable steps to notify
the court if such person is a witness, defendant, victim or attorney in a
pending proceeding before the court.
Upon notification from the court that the person is needed for court
proceedings, the bailiff shall follow the court’s direction. At the Criminal Justice Center in Pinellas
County, if the bailiff is notified by the court that the person is not needed
immediately for court proceedings, the person may be booked into the jail on an
expedited basis and made available in the pending proceeding as soon as can
reasonably be accomplished.
6. The Pinellas County Department of General
Services shall post a notice outside the entrance to security checkpoints that
persons entering the facility or that portion of the facility are subject to
security procedures.
7. Facial recognition systems shall be operated
in such a manner to ensure that scans which do not produce a match are not
retained in the system.
8. At the public entrance to all court
facilities in
9. Any contractor for the court, employee of the
offices of the State Attorney, Public Defender and the Clerk of the Circuit
Court for Pinellas County, attorney with an identification issued by the Sheriff
as set forth in paragraph 10 hereof, or other county officer or employee
utilizing the public entrance to a court facility shall pass through the metal
detection devices located at such public entrance.
10. Members of the
Administrative
Order 2003-022 PI-CIR is hereby rescinded.
DONE AND
ORDERED in Chambers at
______________________________ Robert J. Morris, Jr., Chief
Judge
cc: All Judges
The Honorable Bernie McCabe, State
Attorney
The Honorable Robert H. Dillinger,
Public Defender
The Honorable
The Honorable Jim Coats, Sheriff,
Gay L. Inskeep, Trial Courts
Administrator
Captain Gary Schobel, Court Security
Division, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
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