A concealed weapon made its way into the Dallas County Courthouse on Wednesday, leading to a facility lockdown and the firing of three security contract workers.
As conveyed by Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, a woman allegedly carrying a handgun entered the premises of the Dallas County Courthouse on the morning of January 17 despite security measures being in place, according to WFAA. The courthouse is located in Council Member Paul Ridley’s District 14.
The building went into lockdown after the security breach was uncovered, with court employees inside instructed to shelter in place while those outside — including Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot — were temporarily barred from entry.
After about 15 minutes, the woman with the alleged concealed weapon was tracked to the third floor, and then she left the building, security footage revealed. She has since been identified and charged with bringing a weapon to an unauthorized place. Items prohibited from the courthouse include firearms, knives, clubs, tasers, explosives, knuckles, defensive sprays, alcohol, flammable liquids, and fashion chains.
As Price explained, the U.S. Marshals oversee security screenings at the courthouse. However, contract workers from the Centerra Group are the actual screeners. Three individuals working on the day of the incident have been fired.
In the future, according to Price, screeners will be supplied directly from the U.S. Marshal’s Office, who are now undergoing training to perform the associated job duties.
In November, a contracted security guard from L&P Global Security Company was fired after leaving a loaded gun inside a faculty restroom at an elementary school in Allen ISD, as previously covered in The Dallas Express. An armed peace officer is required to be stationed at every public school campus after a recent state law was passed in the interest of boosting school security.
The City of Dallas has already logged 93 weapons violations in 2024 as of January 16, according to the police department’s crime analytics dashboard. Last year, Dallas police clocked a total of 2,282 of these offenses.
