Two Montgomery County judges and the county sheriff told members of the County Council Public Safety Committee that a rise in threats and increasing agitation by some defendants has become a serious problem.
James Bonifant, administration judge for the county circuit court, said there aren’t enough sheriff officers to handle their needs.
During Monday afternoon’s committee meeting, Bonifant said he receives a daily call from the sheriff’s office to determine how best to cover the courtrooms, entryways and other areas with the number of personnel available.
“Staffing in the sheriff’s department, that’s the biggest problem,” Bonifant said. “It’s becoming a serious problem.”
The sheriff’s department has a vacancy rate of 20%, noted Sheriff Maxell Uy.
This vacancy comes at a time when judges are receiving threatening emails and defendants, especially those in family court, are increasingly agitated, the officials stated.
“They’ve all been receiving threatening emails,” Bonifant said of his fellow judges. Other members of the courthouse staff also are being threatened, he said.
One defendant went to the home of a courthouse employee. “It’s still concerning how this person found that address,” Bonifant told the committee members.
“The behavior of people who come into our courthouse has escalated into just outrageousness,” said Associate Circuit Court Judge Debra Dwyer. “When I say everyday something happens in a courthouse, I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.”
The committee also discussed having secure parking for judges, installing bulletproof glass and adding more security cameras as a way to deal with the incidents.
Along with staffing problems, the number of court cases, especially those involving juveniles, is growing, which requires additional personnel.
The Supreme Court in Maryland issued a report in December of 2024 concerning safety in the courthouse.
According to that report, there should be one court security officer in each courtroom when it is in use. A second officer should be assigned when an in-custody person is present or a proceeding is taking place in which that may result in a defendant being taken into custody.
A roving officer should be on each floor with courtrooms or judicial chambers.
“All staff should have minimal training on what is a threat,” said Councilmember Dawn Luedtke.
Councilmember Kristin Mink suggested that besides dealing with the immediate threats and violence, “We need to get to the root causes.”
“This is a very safe courthouse, but we always want to do better,” Uy said.
