Additional security at the Dallas County Courthouse during circuit and district court sessions is a growing need.

The proof came recently when a melee erupted at the courthouse following a bond hearing for murder suspect Ronald Fitts on Tuesday, Jan. 25. After an argument turned into a brawl and spilled into other areas of the courthouse, Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard said it became apparent to him something needs to be done.

Currently, Ballard said, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department is primarily responsible for providing security during trials, with some exceptions.

“There is some overlap where there will be city activities going on here and of course the city has some responsibilities,” Ballard said. “But overall courthouse security is handled by the sheriff’s department.”

After the brawl, Ballard said the department beefed up its patrols during proceedings. “They (deputies) have been very visible since that time,” Ballard said. “It was kind of an eye-opener to me how something like that can spill from the courtroom to other areas.”

The need for more security is increasing, Dallas County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Randy Pugh said. Currently there are three full-time security officers posted, but he would like to see more.

“I’ve met with the sheriff since that time and we’ve talked about adding some extra security like two more officers in the hallway,” Pugh said. “We need to add some extra security before something serious happens.”

Unfortunately, both Ballard and Pugh agree tight funding limits dictate the amount of manpower can be added during trials.

Murder trials always get extra attention, Ballard said. But they aren’t the only times extra security is needed.

“We worry about the high-profile trials, but if you look at the numbers like a recent incident where a judge and bailiff were shot in Atlanta, that was a divorce case,” Ballard said. “Domestic cases require just as much scrutiny as the high-profile cases because it’s one of the unique times where families on both sides of an issue are together. Sometimes it spills over into violence.”

In his observations, Pugh said juvenile court trials have caused the most problems in terms of outbursts. Incidents that escalate to the level of the Fitts hearing fight are rare, Pugh said. But it only takes one to cause major problems.

Lack of manpower and funding, Ballard said, is a common issue among rural counties. He also said it’s a problem without an easy solution.

“Like any place else we don’t have enough. Nobody has enough,” Ballard said. “It’s almost impossible to guarantee security in a courthouse. It’s an ongoing problem and I wish we had enough money to throw at to make it safer than it is.”