King County courthouse security guards cite lack of tools to protect themselves, others
SEATTLE WA August 12 2021– For workers or visitors to the area in Seattle where the King County courthouse is located, there are several different threats that could be lurking in plain sight.
On one day, it could be someone holding a rake and leaf blower who is harassing pedestrians on the sidewalk. Another day, it could be someone else who is even more menacing.
For the regulars who visit the area, they say they are always on guard.
“I’ve come across people with weapons,” said a King County security guard speaking on condition of anonymity. “I’ve come across verbal threats on my life.”
But the guards are hesitant to come forward publicly for fear that they might lose their jobs.
“I’m concerned for retaliation by upper management in the county,” the security officer said, adding that he and his co-workers are only allowed to carry pepper spray and wear a bullet proof resistant vest while on the job. “We deal with an environment that most law enforcement officers have said they would not do unless they were armed.”
He said the men and women who guard and patrol the county buildings in downtown Seattle are vulnerable and more at risk now than ever before because the officer’s don’t have the proper gear.
“How can I effectively protect a judge when I don’t have the tools to defend myself or defend them?” the guard said.
Safety and security conditions are deteriorating around county properties the guards were hired to protect, including the King County courthouse which is adjacent to a notorious homeless encampment in City Hall Park. The camp’s residents have been blamed for some of the area’s safety concerns.
A courthouse worker was recently attacked during an attempted rape inside the women’s restroom. A court worker was able to intervene, and the suspect was taken into custody.
“The hostility level is going higher,” the guard said. “We are starting to see more aggressive behavior from people in the neighborhood.”
Other members of the King County Security Guard’s Guild recall how their members formerly carried batons and handcuffs several years ago before the tools were yanked by policy makers at the Facilities and Management Division, the agency responsible for maintaining county buildings. The department is now refusing to return the items.
“This has been an ongoing issue,” the guard said. “This has been going on for several years.”
KOMO News was unable to reach Anthony Wright, director of the county’s facilities management division, or Aaron Bert, the deputy division director, on Tuesday.
Instead, their spokesperson said: “This has always been standard FMD policy. Since FMD security personnel are not sworn law enforcement officers, they have no more authority to use such weapons in an incident than any other private citizen.”
King County Council member Kathy Lambert said she wants clarification.
Some King County security guards say they don’t have the proper tools to provide adequate protection.
“I’m going to put out a request that we have an immediate change,” Lambert said, adding that she later learned that administrators in the FMD division actually took those tools away from the guards because of concerns about liability issues. “it was because they were afraid they could be used against the officers.”
The council member said calls were made and Lambert discovered 60 batons were being held in storage. Lambert is now calling for security guards to have batons, handcuffs, Narcan and first-aid kits to defend themselves. Lambert said guards should not remain silent.
“Speak up,” Lambert said. “The rest of the employees have also spoken up.”
Last week, hundreds of county employees and their supporters took to Seattle streets to demand improved safety in and around the county buildings.
“ I will not walk alone around the courthouse or anywhere around here after dark,” Judge Suzanne Parisien said.
If requested, the guards are also responsible for escorting county employees, including public defenders and judges like Parisien, out of the building upon request. Parisien favors an approach that would restore batons and handcuffs to the officer’s arsenal
“I love the idea of extra non-lethal weapons,” Parisien said.
And now more county workers are also asking the same questions.
“If he’s being attacked, how’s he going to protect me?” said a county employee who raised questions about a security guard escorting her to another building.
“Well, I have to use my de-escalation tactics and a can of pepper spray,” the guard said
For now, the guard pledges to do their best with the tools they have.
When asked what he would like to say to Washington state’s facilities managers, the guard said, “I would tell them to get out of their cubicle, come down to where we are, work with us for a shift, and see what we deal with in an eight hour period at work.”
KOMO News
