Judge cites safety concerns in barring officers from bringing guns into courtroom
A Nebraska judge says he barred police officers from bringing their guns into his courtroom this week partly because of safety concerns.
Judge James Gleason of Douglas County tells the Omaha World-Herald a gun could go off, even accidentally, and harm someone. “I consider it a safety issue,” he said.
Gleason also says he believes a gun can lend an air of credibility to officers who testify before jurors. The officers who wanted to carry guns into Gleason’s courtroom this week, however, were there to testify at a pretrial hearing without any jurors present.
The hearing was delayed when the officers checked with their commanders and, based on their superiors’ guidance, refused to remove their guns. Gleason says he is giving more thought to the matter after meeting on Thursday with police officials, a prosecutor and the presiding Douglas County judge.
The World-Herald article points out that police officers are required to check their guns when entering the Omaha federal courthouse. Police officials say the federal courthouse is different because there are private hallways for defendants. At the Douglas County Courthouse, inmates walk in hallways also used by lawyers, judges, jurors and spectators.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Capt. Wayne Hudson, who oversees courthouse security, says he believes armed police officers boost safety. Sgt. John Wells, head of the Omaha police union, agrees.
“How can somebody think that disarming a police officer in a hostile environment is smart?” Wells asked in an interview with the World-Herald. “It’s completely asinine” he said of Gleason’s policy.
