Courtroom Security Committee

Pursuant to T.C.A. § 16-2-505(d), each county must establish a court security committee. In addition to the sheriff, the committee is to be composed of the county mayor, the district attorney general, the presiding judge of the judicial district, and a court clerk from the county designated by the presiding judge. The committee is charged with examining the space and facilities to determine the security needs of the courtrooms in the county in order to provide safe and secure facilities.

Upon completing the examination of security needs, the administrative office of the courts distributes to the court security committee a copy of the minimum security standards as adopted by the Tennessee Judicial Conference. The committee must review and consider these standards in determining court security needs. No later than May 15 of each year, the court security committee must report its findings to the county legislative body and the administrative office of the courts. The county legislative body is required to review and consider the recommendations of the court security committee in preparing the budget. Any recommendation by the court security committee requiring county expenditures is subject to approval of the county legislative body. No later than December 1 of each year, the county legislative body is required to report to the administrative office of the courts any action taken to meet the security needs. No later than January 15 of each year, the administrative office of the courts is required to report to the General Assembly on the compliance by each county government with the security needs established by the court security committee.