Security Survey Creates Specific Initiatives for NAAUSA to Undertake

 

            On January 7, 2008, the President signed P.L. 110-177, the “Court Security Act of 2007” which included provisions affecting AUSAs.  Among the provisions included was Title IV which required the Attorney General to report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on the security of Assistant U.S. Attorneys.  The legislation required DOJ to include information on the number and nature of threats and assaults against AUSAs, security measures in place to protect AUSAs, programs available to AUSAs for personal security training, secure parking, and the role of the U.S. Marshals Service in protecting AUSAs.

 

            P.L. 110-177 also protected AUSAs against false liens and the public disclosure of restricted personal information. 

 

            Since the DOJ report to Congress (which had not been submitted to Congress when the newsletter went to press) included several specific security areas, the NAAUSA Board of Directors determined that NAAUSA members and non-members should be surveyed to determine the memberships’ security improvement priorities.  Some of the highlights of the security survey follow.  

            See the full survey results on the website.

 

•           As of May 1, 2008, 1257 AUSAs completed the security survey, about 23 percent of all AUSAs.

 

•           67% of the completed surveys were from NAAUSA members; more than half the membership completed the survey.

 

•           45% of those completing the survey said they or a member of their immediate office had been threatened or assaulted.  This percentage varied widely based on how long the respondent had been an AUSA.   The percentage threatened or assaulted by years of service and other categories:

 

Less than                    10 or more                  20 years                      NAAUSA                      Civil

10 years                      years                           or more                       Members                     AUSAs

 

26.5%                          53.4%                          67%                             50%                             33%

 

•           Secure parking was rated as the most important security improvement needed by 79% of respondents, and 57% of respondents said, when considering costs, secure parking should be provided to every AUSA carrying a high-vulnerability workload, regardless of pre-existing threat.

 

•           57% of survey respondents said that secure parking should be provided for every AUSA carrying a high-vulnerability caseload regardless of the existence of pre-existing threat.  This percentage was basically the same across the five groups listed above.

 

•           80% of survey respondents said that AUSAs who carry high vulnerability caseloads and who demonstrated proficiency in the use of firearms should be authorized to carry a firearm if they requested the authority to carry a firearm.

 

Less than                    10 or more                  20 years                      NAAUSA                      Civil

10 years                      years                           or more                       Members                     AUSAs

 

80%                             84%                             70%                             82%                             72%

            Pennsylvania and Texas had the most completed surveys.

 

Question 1 allowed respondents to suggest other security improvements in addition to secure parking, home alarms, firearms deputization, or annual personal security training.  Among the items suggested more than once were:

 

Protect home address/phone records

Remove info from local property listings, driver’s licenses, etc.

Require BOP to notify AUSA when inmates who have threatened the AUSA are released

Provide escort guards to accompany AUSAs to un-secure parking late at night

 

Security survey.doc