Tarrant County OKs plan to let lawyers skip security

Tarrant County commissioners unanimously approved a program Tuesday that will allow attorneys to bypass security lines in the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center.

The program, proposed by District Attorney Sharen Wilson, will allow attorneys to wear special badges instead of standing in long security lines that can sometimes delay hearings.

The change won’t apply to the Civil Courts or Family Courts buildings, and county officials said they have no plans to expand the program.

“I am in favor of it and I will tell you why,” said Wilson, who addressed the commissioners.

“This summer, the courts had interns — interns assigned to their courts who attend law school — and every one of them was given access. And those interns we don’t know anything about walked in past lawyers that we’ve known for 30 years, and it’s not right. This is the right thing to do. It’s time to do it.”

Wilson also presented signatures of support from 26 of the 27 judges in the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. Only Justice Bonnie Sudderth of the 2nd Court of Appeals abstained from supporting the measure.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson will enforce the policy. To apply for a badge, lawyers must have a Tarrant County address on their State Bar of Texas card.

“This is very similar to the global re-entry program,” said attorney David Keltner, president of the Tarrant County Bar Association. “You walk through, but you don’t have to disrobe.”

Wilson said she hopes the program can begin soon.

Some officials have expressed concern that it could eventually expand to family, civil and juvenile courthouses.

Last month, state District Judge Judith Wells at the Tarrant County Family Law Center told the Star-Telegram that “it is a slippery slope and I don’t see any reason to go down it.”

The program likely couldn’t expand without the support of judges in other courthouses, but Keltner said there may be discussions. He said family lawyers often have to make multiple appearances in court throughout the day while civil lawyers typically don’t.

“We’ll probably look at it through the bar association,” Keltner said.

To qualify, attorneys must pay a $75 fee and undergo a background check once a year when the card is renewed. The Sheriff’s Department can revoke a badge if the attorney’s status changes or court officials raise concerns.

Lawyers must wear the cards where they’re clearly visible. They would walk slowly through the screening area and wait for a deputy to clear them. Briefcases and boxes carried by attorneys will not have to go through the X-ray machine or scanner.

No guns are permitted, even if the badge holder has a handgun license. Knives are also banned.

Tarrant County has the legacy of a deadly courthouse shooting. Twenty-three years ago, George Lott strolled into the historic Tarrant County Courthouse with a 9 mm semiautomatic Glock inside his briefcase.

A disgruntled attorney who was irate over a divorce and custody battle, Lott pulled out his gun and opened fire, killing prosecutor Chris Marshall and Dallas attorney John Edwards and wounding two judges and another lawyer.

The shooting led to tighter security statewide. Tarrant County installed metal detectors and added X-ray machines to screen bags and briefcases.

Fort Worth defense attorney Lance Evans said he doesn’t see any potential holes in security, since interns, cleaning crews and court staff already have badges.

“Any gaps in security would have already been exposed,” Evans said. “The structure has always been there to do the types of background checks they need to do.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Tarrant County OKs plan to let lawyers skip security."