Courts, encounters with locking up pistols while visiting.

[Grim_Night]

So... been a long while since last I posted on these forums. I don't recall if anyone has said anything about the Tacoma/Pierce county court house. Last time I was there, they had a dedicated room with lock boxes. You step into the main part of the building at the 2nd floor entrance, ask for an officer so that you can check in your firearm, officer arrives, unlocks the room and you lock up your firearm, keep the key, then go on your merry way.

They have cleaned up their act since a previous occasion when they demanded my ID/CPL before they would give me access. Now, they say nothing and do as I described above.

Lakewood also has lock boxes at the court portion of the city building. Just tell the officer you need to check a firearm, they take it, lock it up right there at the entrance, and you're on about your business in the court.

 

[solus]

Grim, nice to see your smile from the evergreen state...

also glad after reviewing the premise of this forum someone somewhere got the attention of those in charge who appears to have facilitated change in the way the law was implemented with the citizens involved...

 

[mnrobitaille]

Past several times, I've visited Franklin County Courthouse in Pasco, I just have to walk into the Security Checkpoint & a key(s) for the lockbox is given to me. Most of the correctional deputies know me & that I carry, so no questions asked.

 

[solus]

outstanding...

 

[mnrobitaille]

Franklin County Courthouse & Benton County Courthouse

On Wednesday, May 31, I had to turn in Position Statement for divorce proceedings as have a Settlement/Pre-Trial Conference on Monday, June 5. As I am a Franklin County resident & the divorce was filed via Franklin County, I first went to the Franklin County Courthouse in Pasco to turn in the documentation.

I went into the security checkpoint (separate building from courthouse) & asked for a lockbox key to secure sidearm & accessories, no questions were asked as the Franklin County Sheriff's Office personnel manning know I carry. After securing sidearm & accessories, I mentioned that I have a pacemaker & am going to bypass the metal detector. No pat down or wanding was done. I went & tried to turn in the documentation to the Franklin County Clerk & was told I needed to go to Benton County Courthouse to do so. I re-entered the security checkpoint & retrieved sidearm & accessories from lockbox & proceeded towards Benton County Courthouse (Kennewick).

I arrived at the Benton County Courthouse & proceeded into the main courthouse building to go through the security checkpoint. Benton County subcontracts out their courthouse security & they had 1 of 2 metal detectors running, with 6-7 personnel working. I mentioned I needed a lockbox to secure sidearm & accessories, & was asked to show my Washington State CPL. I mentioned I was open carrying & that a CPL was not required to do so, & a supervisor (either Sargeant, Captain, or Lieutenant) verbally agreed & made mention no CPL was required. I did however have to show my Washington State Driver License to secure the lockbox. They kept the lockbox key after I secured sidearm & accessories. I mentioned about having the pacemaker & the needing to bypass the metal detector, where one of the 6-7 personnel waited for me on the other side & did a wand search (even over the pacemaker, although I motioned where pacemaker was). I did went & turned in the documentation to the Court Administration Office. I had to wait for personnel to get the key to the lockbox to get sidearm & accessories.

Franklin County Courthouse security checkpoint has 12 lockboxes & when asking for a lockbox you are given the key to keep with you while on campus. Franklin County Courthouse campus includes: Franklin County Courthouse/Franklin County Administration, Franklin County Correctional Facility, Franklin County Sheriff's Office, & City of Pasco Municipal Court (entire campus is enclosed via fencing)

Benton County Courthouse has a security checkpoint which has 4 lockboxes (visible) that when asking to secure items, the personnel keeps the key there. Next door (Benton County Correctional Facility) has a separate security checkpoint, but no lockboxes that I know of. Benton County Courthouse campus includes: Benton County Courthouse/Benton County Sheriff's Office, Benton County Correctional Facility, Benton County Administration, & Benton-Franklin Health Department Administration. The entire campus (minus fencing around the correctional facility & sheriff's office parking lot) is open access.

 

[color of law]

Benton County Courthouse personnel kept the key. Did you ask them where your other gun went?

 

[mnrobitaille]

Benton County Courthouse personnel kept the key. Did you ask them where your other gun went?

Only had a single sidearm, so it & accessories fit into one lockbox.

 

[color of law]

Only had a single sidearm, so it & accessories fit into one lockbox.

The joke is if the court personnel had the key to your locker then they had access to your property. Hence, where is your other gun?

 

[mnrobitaille]

The joke is if the court personnel had the key to your locker then they had access to your property. Hence, where is your other gun?

Other gun I normally carry was at home.

I dislike the idea of them keeping the key.

 

[mnrobitaille]

Had a bit of a negative experience this morning at Franklin County Courthouse.

There were 2 deputies on duty at the security checkpoint (the female deputy knows me, the male deputy did not). As I was showing up when the jury pool was, I had to wait for the lockbox key.

The male deputy handed me the key, then proceeded to follow me over to the lockers & hover over me (as if I had never done firearm check-ins before). As I proceeded to put firearm & gear into the locker, he brought down the sign-in/out binder & waited until I had secured the locker & signed in the binder before going back to the duty desk.

After was done with what I had to get done, he then proceeding, again, to hover as I got firearm & gear out of the locker.

I mentioned in a loud enough voice that I was the last few entries in the binder & so knew the procedures. Unfortunately I have to go back tomorrow to visit the Superior Court Clerk's office to get copies of paperwork from today.

 

[mnrobitaille]

Had a bit of a negative experience this morning at Franklin County Courthouse.

There were 2 deputies on duty at the security checkpoint (the female deputy knows me, the male deputy did not). As I was showing up when the jury pool was, I had to wait for the lockbox key.

The male deputy handed me the key, then proceeded to follow me over to the lockers & hover over me (as if I had never done firearm check-ins before). As I proceeded to put firearm & gear into the locker, he brought down the sign-in/out binder & waited until I had secured the locker & signed in the binder before going back to the duty desk.

After was done with what I had to get done, he then proceeding, again, to hover as I got firearm & gear out of the locker.

I mentioned in a loud enough voice that I was the last few entries in the binder & so knew the procedures. Unfortunately I have to go back tomorrow to visit the Superior Court Clerk's office to get copies of paperwork from today.

Unfortunately that same male deputy was manning the security checkpoint today.

 

[Brian D.]

Annoying, perhaps, but nothing unlawful about the deputy watching you so closely, correct? Sometimes a badge makes someone act a little "badge heavy". Not much to be done unless there are multiple complainants.

 

[mnrobitaille]

Annoying, perhaps, but nothing unlawful about the deputy watching you so closely, correct? Sometimes a badge makes someone act a little "badge heavy". Not much to be done unless there are multiple complainants.

I'm a frequent visitor to Franklin County Courthouse, cause of being on a couple of boards that meets there. On the sign-in/out sheet for the lockers I was only name listed 8 times in a row. Another reason for being a frequent visitor is cause of divorce proceedings, which were just finalized.

One of those boards (Franklin County Sheriff's Citizens Advisory Board) I am on, deals with how the Sheriff's Office can better be a positive experience with interactions.

I may or may not be making multiple visits these next 2 weeks, thanks in part to summons for jury duty.

Majority of the time I am able to just walk in, be given a key, & be on my way as the majority of the personnel are used to seeing me.