Seattle's King County courthouse security measures under review
Seattle’s King County Courthouse security measures under review
Safety around the King County Courthouse in Seattle has become a growing concern in recent years, with some visitors suffering serious injuries and others afraid simply to enter the building. FOX 13 reporter Shawn Chitnis discusses the steps the county council is considering to improve the situation.
SEATTLE - The King County Council heard the latest in ongoing safety concerns surrounding the courthouse downtown on Tuesday, as councilmembers review security protocols amid persistent violence and emerging threats targeting judicial officers.
The King County Council’s Government Accountability and Oversight Committee convened for a briefing including Presiding Judge of the Superior Court Averil Rothrock and county facilities officials. The meeting marks the latest effort by leadership to address an environment where employees, visitors and jurors report feeling unsafe simply arriving for their civic duties. During the committee briefing, county staff highlighted that prospective jurors are increasingly terrified to travel from nearby bus stops and transit stations to the courthouse doors.
What they're saying:
"A lot of our prospective jurors are afraid to come to the downtown courthouse," said Adam Keller during the committee meeting. He's the court facilities and security manager. "They do not feel safe leaving the transit stations or the bus stops to make their way into the courthouse."
Keller explained that those concerns are not enough to get jurors out of their service even though some have requested to be dismissed. He shared that some serving their jury duty responsibilities have been injured while traveling to the courthouse.
Committee members were also briefed on the growing vulnerability of judges serving King County. Officials noted that the safety of judicial officers is increasingly compromised by individuals publishing private personal information online – a practice known as doxing – creating new security challenges that extend far beyond the physical courtroom walls.
Big picture view:
FOX 13 has reported on the scrutiny over security around the downtown facility and neighboring City Hall Park since at least 2019. Despite county investments in additional security personnel and operational changes – such as closing one of the building's entrances – violent encounters have continued to plague the perimeter.
"It’s not that these people don’t have a place to live, it’s beyond that, it’s criminal activity," Mafe Rahul told FOX 13 in 2021, she was a judge at the courthouse at the time.
A 75-year-old woman sustained multiple injuries outside the facility last year, resulting in the permanent loss of vision in one eye.
"I've often been followed to and from the courthouse. I've been harassed, I've been yelled at," one worker told FOX 13 in 2021.
Dig deeper:
Three major incidents in 2021 include a man killed in a stabbing at nearby City Hall Park and another man attacked while attempting to take photographs of tents in that park. An employee working inside the courthouse was assaulted in a building restroom.
"It's dangerous down here," A visitor to downtown said in 2019. "I watch reports on the news, people are getting attacked. It's been getting more and more dangerous, so I watch my back."
The Source: Information in this story is based on original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Shawn Chitnis, and previous reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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