Courthouse Safety Bill Passes Judiciary Committee
Adams Bill Provides Surplus Metal Detectors to Local Courthouses
Washington,
Aug 1 -
The House Judiciary Committee passed legislation authored by Rep. Sandy Adams (FL-24) today that would allow for surplus magnetometers, or metal detectors, to be provided to local courthouses to enhance security. The bipartisan legislation was passed by voice vote and is expected to come before the House this year for consideration.
“Giving local courthouses the resources to enhance their security, and to do so at no cost to the federal taxpayer, is a win win for everyone,” said Adams. “Like other regions throughout the nation, Central Florida has seen its share of courthouse attacks, and my legislation will help enhance the security of our justice system. I appreciate the bipartisan support of my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee and look forward to seeing this bill become law.”
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To read more about the legislation, click here. The companion legislation in the Senate is S. 2076, which was reported unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 24, 2012.
Rep. Sandy Adams Opening Statement (as prepared for delivery)
House Judiciary Committee Markup of H.R. 6185 –
The Local Courthouse Safety Act of 2012
August 1, 2012
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today, August 1, is a significant one. Twenty-nine years ago, on August 1, 1983, Thomas Provenzano was arrested for disorderly conduct in Orlando, Florida. From that day forward, he continually followed and threatened to kill the officers who arrested him. I suppose you could say it became an obsession.
Six months later, on January 10, 1984, Provenzano arrived at the Orange County Courthouse for his disorderly conduct trial, where he was heard to have said, "I can't wait until those two policemen walk in. I'll show them," and, "I'm going to do it. This is where [these] guys get their ass kicked."
As he entered the courthouse, Provenzano was carrying a red knapsack, and wearing a jacket in which he had inside pockets sewn in. A correctional officer, Mark Parker, stopped him at the door and told him that he would have to leave the knapsack outside or have it searched. So Provenzano took his knapsack to his car. The knapsack, it was later revealed, contained a gun stock for his .45 caliber assault rifle and ammunition for the .38 caliber revolver.
Less than an hour later, Provenzano re-entered the courtroom, this time without a knapsack but with his jacket on. He approached the bench when his case was called, and the judge instructed Bailiff Harry Dalton to search Provenzano. As Provenzano reached into his jacket pocket, Bailiff Dalton went to grab him.
He was shot in the face. Provenzano then chased and fired at least two shots at Correctional Officer Parker.
Bailiff William Wilkerson, the bailiff in charge the courtroom next door, stepped into the hallway where the shooting was taking place. Shortly thereafter, gunshots were heard. Provenzano then ducked into a room and took a barricade position with a shotgun pointing into the hall. Corporal A.C. Jacobs of the Orange County Sheriff's Office shot Provenzano through a window. Provenzano had been armed with a 12 gauge shotgun, a .45 caliber assault rifle, and a .38 caliber revolver, all loaded with live ammunition.
Bailiff Wilkerson, a 60 year old veteran who retired from the Navy as a lieutenant commander, was killed by Thomas Provenzano that day.
Bailiff Dalton, a 53-year-old father of six, was left paralyzed from the shooting. He died seven years later.
Correctional Officer Parker was 19 at the time of the shooting. He survived the shooting, but he was paralyzed from the shoulders down and had to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.
Thomas Provenzano was executed by the State of Florida on June 21, 2000 by lethal injection.
I introduced the Local Courthouse Safety Act because the things this bill does are important to me. I know the families of Bailiff Dalton and Bailiff Wilkerson, who lost their lives as a result of the senseless violence that day in the Orange County Courthouse, and I know the grief they’ve had to live with all of these years. I am a friend of the Parker family and remained friends with Officer Parker until he passed about three years ago.
Even though it is nearly 30 years later, courthouse shootings are still happening all over this country and innocent people are still dying. In fact, I’m told that since September 2010, there has been about one shooting per month on average at a local courthouse. Those who are exercising their Constitutional right of seeking justice in our courtrooms should not have to fear for their safety, and neither should our law enforcement officers, judges, and court personnel. It is my hope that this bill will help to prevent horrific incidents like this from happening in local courthouses.
I want to thank my colleagues on the committee for recognizing that we need to take courthouse security seriously and for joining me in this bipartisan effort to help prevent violence in local courthouses across this country. It is clear we agree on the need to give sheriffs and local courthouses access to the training, equipment, and resources they need to improve security.
So I urge support for the bill, and yield back the balance of my time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.