How hard could this be?

1st thing is to fire them all for the screw up

Judges hire two groups to conduct courthouse security audit

Associated Press

ATLANTA - Superior Court judges have hired two groups to conduct a security audit at the courthouse where a judge and two others were shot to death last month.

A contract was finalized Wednesday with the National Center for State Courts, a Virginia-based nonprofit group founded by former U.S. Chief Justice Warren Burger. The Indiana-based Public Agency Training Council will work with the center on the audit.

Chief Judge Doris Downs said the first two phases of the audit will cost $26,500. The cost of four remaining stages had not been determined. The judges are paying for the audit with state funds.

The judges sought proposals for the audit after becoming frustrated with Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman’s initial response to reports of security lapses at the courthouse where Brian Nichols is accused of killing a judge, a court reporter and a sheriff’s deputy.

The experts will visit the site to gather data May 16-20. They will then report to the judges within 14 days. A detailed work plan and “tasks to be accomplished” will be provided by the end of the first week in June, Downs said.

“It’s really important to us that we get the first phase out of the way quickly so we can move into the substantive phases,” Downs said.

Phase 3 will be a physical survey of the court complex. Phase 4 will be a written evaluation of that survey.

“Five is implementation, and six is training,” Downs said.

As they receive reports, Downs said, the judges plan to share the findings and recommendations with the newly formed sheriff’s commission looking at courthouse security.

On March 11, Nichols, who was on trial for rape, allegedly overpowered a lone deputy and stole her gun. Authorities say he then went on a shooting spree at the courthouse, killing Judge Rowland Barnes, court reporter Julie Ann Brandau and deputy Sgt. Hoyt Teasley. Federal agent David Wilhelm was killed later that day.

The sheriff’s department, responsible for security at the courthouse, has been widely criticized for its handling of Nichols, who was unshackled at the time of the attack and had previously been caught with homemade knives hidden in his shoes.