Bailiff Experiences

This is a typical day. The mindless task of telling people to constantly be quiet. Trust me, I hate doing it and I should not have to treat grown adults like children by reminding them that it is rude. Not only is it rude but it could land you in jail for a minimum of ten days or more if it continues. I once had someone get over 100 days because he just did not know when to stop.

Another minor thing that can escalate. Males are required to tuck shirts into their pants and some judges make a very big deal about it. Sometimes people just don't get it. This person in general was heard by the judge and ordered into custody. He fought, was tazered, and went to jail.

This is coming from working the metal detectors. I know that there are some jurisdictions that do allow you to bring your cellphone into the courthouse but the one I was at did not. It is a not just a safety issue but also very distracting. We did not even let lawyers or other officers bring them in.

This is a question I heard all too often. I know a lot of first timers get nervous when going to court and a lot of frequenters want to know what the judge will do. I can never explain exactly what will happen and I never know what the judge will do. There have been times where I was surprised what the judges did. If you have a lawyer they can advise you further.

This could be asked out of desperation or just ignorance but either way I do not have the power to release you.

This is probably one of the more common ways that people try to stay out of jail. They think the judge will have more sympathy for them if they bring their children with them to court. This does not work. You go to jail and your children are taken into the custody of Social Services if no one is available to take them. I have even seen where children have been: taken away from their mothers, sent into foster care, and never returned to their mothers for their entire minority. This is a very sad thing to do and crushed me every time I had to do it.

This is a very common thing that happens when someone does not want to come to court. This involves shutting down several city blocks and at least 4 hours of bomb sniffing dogs checking everything. We caught everyone who ever did this.

This is a common question I got along with bomb threat questions. I know there are a lot of crazy people out there that have nothing to lose and anything could set them off. I can only speak for myself but as I would stand in the courtroom I would try to keep thinking about what I would do if these types of situations ever did happen for real. It is tough to stay vigilant and very easy to succumb to complacency.

You would think murder would be on the top of the list and yes it can be, sometimes. But I think the worst things I have ever seen are those of emaciated children that were later murdered and/or sexually abused. It takes everything inside yourself not to want to take justice into your own hands but not everyone is guilty and you have to treat everyone the same.

Duties are not just to stand, look pretty and hassle people about their clothing and decibels. We also may be called out for prisoner transports, serve civil papers, work in the jail, work on the road. Everything you can do in law enforcement I have done at some time.

Depending on which court you work you may have a different judge everyday but sometimes the judge you guard is the same. Over time you develop a working relationship with your judge, getting to know the way they want things done and handled. I in no way ever put myself in any situation where I would ever ask the judge for any favors. I not only could have lost my job but could also be sued for it.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this. I did not see anything about bailiffs so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and share my experiences. Feel free to ask any questions and if i get a lot I will most likely have to do another one of these. Stay out of trouble. :-D

*Front Page Edit* WOW! I kind of had a feeling I would make front page but look at all that green! THANK YOU! Anyway, I just finished reading all the comments and am currently working on another since there has been so much arguing about the dress code.

*EDIT* Part 2 http://imgur.com/gallery/91zbD