PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Court-goers might be noticing a few new faces at the Licht and Garrahy judicial complexes: Rhode Island state troopers and Providence police officers.
The judiciary is enlisting four state troopers and four Providence police officers, all armed, to patrol the hallways of the two courthouses after a brawl broke out two weeks ago outside Family Court on the fifth floor at Garrahy, courts spokesman Craig N. Berke said. Six — three state troopers and three Providence officers — are assigned to Garrahy, with a single state trooper and Providence officer at Licht.
"We want an increased presence of uniformed officers in the public spaces in these two courthouses in Providence," Berke said.
The judiciary reached out to state police Col. Ann Assumpico; state police Lt. Col. Kevin M. Barry, commanding officer of the Department of Public Safety; and Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements Jr. after the Jan. 11 melee left a juvenile hospitalized and two men facing assault charges, Berke said. Clements and the state police agreed to provide coverage for a limited time.
"There are not enough sheriffs patrolling the hallways, and we want the hallways patrolled," Berke said.
The deputy sheriffs' first priority needs to be ensuring the security of the judges, as opposed to rushing into the hallways to quell a disturbance, he said. "They have to get their judges out of harm's way. They cannot leave their judges alone in the courtroom."
Sheriffs provide courtroom security, transport defendants to and from prison, and stand watch over juries, with guns secured in strategic locations in courthouses for retrieval, if needed.
The initiative, now in its second week, is expected to last up to six weeks, Berke said. The $17,500 weekly cost of the detail is coming from the judiciary budget, Berke said.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell has also reached out to Gov. Gina M. Raimondo about the sheriff shortage and asked for the appointment of additional sheriffs, Berke said.
Raimondo met on Jan. 16 with Suttell; Superior Court Presiding Justice Alice B. Gibney; Family Court Chief Judge Michael B. Forte; District Court Chief Judge Jeanne E. LaFazia; Workers' Compensation Chief Judge Robert J. Ferrieri; and Supreme Court Administrator J. Joseph Baxter Jr., Berke said.
"The governor was receptive," Berke said.
David Ortiz, spokesman for Raimondo, said the office is proposing Injured-On-Duty legislation that will prevent misuse of the IOD system.
“There are currently 16 sheriffs of IOD, which puts tremendous strain on the resources of the Sheriffs Division,” Ortiz said in an email. “Reforming the IOD system will be the most effective and lasting solution to the Judiciary’s current challenge.”
Ortiz said that, in the meantime, the governor has directed the state police to assist with court security as needed.
The move comes after a number of violent incidents in and around the two courthouse. In September, shots were fired outside Garrahy after a fight that began inside the courthouse worked its way out onto the neighboring streets. Providence police have linked that shooting to a Pawtucket street gang rivalry, though there have been no arrests.
Purported Bucket East gang member Joseph “Black” Segrain is on trial this week, too, for allegedly trying to gun down a Bucket West rival after a confrontation at the Licht Judicial Complex.