Some states have statutes prohibiting guns, weapons, and other hazardous materials from being in the courthouse and from that prohibition courts develop local policies and procedures. Many limited jurisdiction courts indicate they do not have an adequate city or municipal ordinance to effectively deal with their need for security. Responses to question three mirror the answers in question two. If there are no specific statutes dealing with court security, then generally they do not have a formal court security committee. A few courts indicate they are without statutory authority, but by judicial administrative rule they establish a committee.
Some courts deal with issues of security within their emergency planning committees.
Emergency planning committees also deal with fire, earthquake and other natural disasters which are broader issues than what is typically referred to as court security. Membership on the committees is fairly consistent within the various courts. These committees appear to deal with everything from security policies to safety drills to court relocation plans. It is fairly clear that the security committees are attempting to address issues broader than just weapons or dangerous situations within the courthouse. In response to question four, the responding courts are evenly divided on experiencing opposition to the development of security for the courthouse.