Philly judges call on sheriff to address safety concerns at city courthouses

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Philadelphia judges are calling on the sheriff to address security issues at the city’s courthouses amid an increase in assaults and threats.

President Judge Nina Wright Padilla and a handful of other judges wrote in a court order earlier this month that the sheriff’s office, which oversees the criminal courthouses and is in charge of prisoner transport, has failed to “properly staff courtrooms and court facilities in the First Judicial District,” which has led to an increase in the number of incidents at the city’s courthouses.

The order says that there were 72 “security incidents in Philadelphia courts in 2023, which is a 140% increase in incidents between 2022 and 2023,” with 2024 set to see another increase in the number of incidents.

A fight inside Philadelphia Family Courthouse in February that was caught on camera shows one sheriff’s officer trying to subdue two men fighting, with another man appearing to be unconscious on the floor.

The judges wrote that “such security failures are an imminent threat to the safety and health of all persons present in the courthouses, courtrooms and court facilities.”

A call for comment from Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal on Friday was not immediately returned.

The Associated Press reported that Bilal has asked City Council to increase her office’s funding by 30%, or by more than $10 million, to increase staffing levels in the city’s courthouses.

The judges wrote in their order that the staffing issues have also led to delays in court cases and proceedings.