Threats Up, Judges Need More Protection: Report
January 4, 2010
Chicago - A new report from the Justice Department said security is still inadequate when it comes to protecting federal judges from dangerous persons.
Five years ago, after the murder of her husband and mother by a deranged litigant named Bart Ross, Judge Joan Lefkow warned that judges needed more protection.
Now, a new Justice Department report said threats against judges and prosecutors have increased dramatically, but protection is still lacking.
The number of threats investigated by federal marshals more than doubled over a recent five-year period, but many threats were not reported to the FBI, and judges often received no added security.
Investigators did not provide statistics regarding Chicago, but Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) isn't taking any chances.
"We feel like things are good, but we're not assuming a thing. Based on this report, we're going to contact the marshal's offices and judges directly to make sure that they feel that we've not missed anything in terms of their safety,” Durbin told FOX Chicago News Monday.
Overall, the report suggested that just as with intelligence gathering in the war on terror, law enforcement agencies just aren't talking to one another when it comes to protecting judges.