Courts and checking your weapon

[Granite]

Something has been bothering me for a while now about going to court and having to give your firearm up. I am a city cop so the only court I can keep my firearm on me in is City court. Any other Grand Jury, Juvenile, Magistrate, or any State court for that matter and you have to put your firearm in a locker when you enter the building near the securtiy desk.
I live in Georgia and as alot of you know there was an incident last year where a judge,clerk, and county deputy were killed at state court. Days later the escaped prisoner who was armed with a deputies weapon killed a federal agent. Now if all the officers in the building had weapons on them, deaths very well may have been prevented. The issue for my post isnt to monday morning quarter back something that happened but nothing has been done about officers surrendering their weapons when they go to court.
In these state courts the only armed people are the sheriffs deputies for that county. Even the county police and state officers have to lock their weapons up. It makes absolutely no sense at all. Why should I ride in an elevator with a bunch of perps when I have no weapon. I have spoken to several officers who carry 2nd weapons and dont mention them to anyone when they lock their service weapon up, maybe the only answer for now is to do the same.
What I would like to know from each of you is the following.
1.What state are you in?
2. Are you city, county, state, or federal?
3. In what courts can you carry your firearm?
4. If you have to lock your firearm up in a court, who in that court is allowed to carry?
5. Whats your opinion on an officer being forced to give their firearm up when attending court?

[webjeep]

Im in Charlottesville, VA and can carry my weapons in any court except Fed. We used to be allowed to carry them there, but after that incident in GA that you referred to they changed the policy. My thought was that you would want trained people with guns around, but I guess it's better to have a grandma with little firearms/defensive tactics/retention training and a brown suit armed shuttling perps :rolleyes:

Fed doesn't bother me so much because our marshalls are pretty squared away and the security is tight. Our general district court on the other hand... Any schmuck can walk in off the street and not even go through a metal detector. Osama could walk in there with a nuke strapped to his back and no one would stop him.

[Dalice]

I was working in Fayetteville (GA) after that incident happened. Before that the policy of Fayette County's state court had been to allow every police officer to carry his gun into court. There was one superior court judge who wouldn't allow it but other than that we were free to. I figured after the courthouse incident that they would have changed the policy but they didn't.:confused:
I know here in Dallas, there's no way you could take your gun into Federal Court, I'm not sure about the state courts around here.

[retdetsgt]

We used to have to check our firearms until a judge and a divorce attorney got shot and killed in court. Amazing how that changes the views of the most liberal judge. We've been carrying guns into court ever since.

[jarobins]

I work for the State Police in Virginia and have attended court in several places across the state. Every city and county court in Tidewater (starting in Virginia Beach, up to Williamsburg and as far west as Emporia) allows police to keep their weapon, as do the courts out here in SW Virginia. In fact even the judge here is packing. :D

The only state level court I've been to that would not allow me to carry was in Chesterfield County, although this was almost ten years ago and may have changed. I have been to Federal court in Norfolk, Richmond, and Abingdon and all of them required that I secure my firearm.

To put it mildly, I am not a fan of any court that requires me to secure my weapon, although I do feel more comfortable being unarmed in Federal court than I would in State court. My local courts do not even have metal detectors or for that matter search people coming into court.

[Legoate]

In my county in CA you can be fully armed if you are in police uniform. If you are in plain clothes you have to lock up your weapon. Not the worst policy in the world.

As said before, in Federal court you have to disarm, however, I've never been to federal court.

[ChesCopPodz]

The only state level court I've been to that would not allow me to carry was in Chesterfield County, although this was almost ten years ago and may have changed. I have been to Federal court in Norfolk, Richmond, and Abingdon and all of them required that I secure my firearm.
.

Chesterfield did finally wake up and smell the java. Roughly 3-4 years ago they started letting uniformed officers carry in court.

[Valor55]

I work for the State Police in Virginia and have attended court in several places across the state. Every city and county court in Tidewater (starting in Virginia Beach, up to Williamsburg and as far west as Emporia) allows police to keep their weapon, as do the courts out here in SW Virginia. In fact even the judge here is packing. :D

The only state level court I've been to that would not allow me to carry was in Chesterfield County, although this was almost ten years ago and may have changed. I have been to Federal court in Norfolk, Richmond, and Abingdon and all of them required that I secure my firearm.

To put it mildly, I am not a fan of any court that requires me to secure my weapon, although I do feel more comfortable being unarmed in Federal court than I would in State court. My local courts do not even have metal detectors or for that matter search people coming into court.

In Fairfax County if you were in uniform you had to secure your gun inside a police office within the courthouse. You were allowed to carry if it was concealed. I guess the thinking was if the perps can't see it they can't make a grab for it. I always had my backup in court if I was in uniform. Otherwise in civilian clothes and the gun was concealed.

Where I am now we can carry in uniform and off duty to court.

[sbrad]

Any police officer can carry their gun in court with them, including plain clothes. If you are not in uniform all you have to do is sign the log and get a red name badge. I'm in Georgia, by the way and work for a sheriff's department.

[Ironhead]

1.What state are you in?
2. Are you city, county, state, or federal?
3. In what courts can you carry your firearm?
4. If you have to lock your firearm up in a court, who in that court is allowed to carry?
5. Whats your opinion on an officer being forced to give their firearm up when attending court?

1. & 2. I am a Federal LEO working for a V.A. in Virgina
3. & 4. Going to Federal Court - uniformed or not - the weapon is secured in the Marshal's Office. In my local Sate Court - uniformed or not - I can keep it. But I don't place State charges, so I don't go to State court at all.
5. I don't like the idea of being in uniform and not being armed. I see some officers simply take off their gun-belts and leave the entire duty rig at the office before leaving to travel to court. I like this idea even less - now you are traveling in a marked police vehicle, in uniform, unarmed. If just has officer safety issues to me.

[Stan Switek]

In Los Angeles County Ca we carry in uniform or in plain clothes except in Federal Court.

[Bearcat06]

1.What state are you in?

Missouri

2. Are you city, county, state, or federal?

Local....for now (if all goes well it will be Federal)

3. In what courts can you carry your firearm?

City and State court systems as long as I have badge/ID on my person or in uniform.

4. If you have to lock your firearm up in a court, who in that court is allowed to carry?

At Federal Courthouse, security contracted out by the USMS and USMS Deputyies.

5. Whats your opinion on an officer being forced to give their firearm up when attending court?

Way of life here in Federal Court. No point in arguing because the Judges/USMS are the ones that make the rules. Always been like that and they are not going to change....

[phantasm]

NYPD and I can carry anywhere and everywhere in the performance of my duty (with the exception of the cell areas in the precincts, central booking, psych wards). That's dept policy for our safety. Off duty I can carry anywhere in NYS except for federal property, and courts where I am the subject (say I get a traffic ticket, or have to go to family court). I can't see it being an issue with me not being allowed to bring my firearm with me everywhere.

[Newbie31]

In Central Illinois I can carry in the county/state courthouse, but not the U.S. District Court. The odd thing is that the Feds use to hire us off duty to work security at the courthouse, thus allowing us to be armed when working security, but not if we were there to testify

[SeVere]

In Chicago/Cook County IL, The Federal Courts are off limits. Domestic Violence Court, Juvenile Family Courts, and Civil Courts (Including Domestic Relations) are also off limits. Criminal Courts and Juvenile Delinquency Courts are good to go.

Traffic is also acceptable as long as you are not off duty and a Defendant.