Video: Public Officials Constantly Aware Of Personal Safety

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Columbus, Miss. (WCBI) — Law enforcement made three arrests Wednesday for a plot to kidnap First Judicial District Court Judge Paul Funderburk in Tupelo.

Many public officials’ faces become familiar in a community, and many of the jobs require making tough decisions, some that may cause someone to walk away upset or emotional. Many public officials are faced with the task of maintaining their own personal safety.

Former District 16 District Attorney for over 20 years Forrest Allgood said when it came to worrying about personal safety in public, “…it crosses your mind, but it crosses my mind before I ever ran for the job, and I accepted that…that’s part and parcel of it…”

Allgood also said he and his office would do meet when necessary to discuss staying safe, saying that many of his staff were “frequently armed”, and he would do his best to get female employees out of the building by 5 P.M. to ensure safety.

“It is a situation where the second amendment is a good thing…”, said Allgood, “…there are a lot of time, when I was in the grocery stores and I was armed…”

Allgood also remembered his time in the courthouse when “anybody and his brother could come walking in and pretty much go anywhere…”, but now security measures like metal detectors and secured doors prevent that from happening, all in the name of safety.

District 14 Chancellor Jim Davidson said, Lowndes County in particular, has made many changes to keep those in the courtroom and courthouse safe, especially when it comes to weapons.

Davidson said the weapons ban is necessary, especially in emotional cases that occur in Chancery court, because “our bailiffs cannot be put on the spot of deciding who’s going to act on a rational basis or not…”

Davidson also mentioned that when it comes to Chancery court cases, it isn’t the perpetrator to worry about, it is the families of the perpetrator and the victim, that may get emotional about a ruling.

“…What you have to fight is the complacency of where something hasn’t happened to me in ten years so you just…forget about being vigilant…”, said Davidson, “…you always have to remember that if something is going to happen to you…you may not be vigilant and end up paying the ultimate price…”

In terms of personal experiences, Allgood said there was one incident that stands out in his mind.

“The one that stands out in my mind is the guy that wanted to fight me in the courtroom…”, explained Allgood, “…when I saw him later, he had been charged with a drug offense, and he wanted to fight me …in the courtroom and I saw him one time when got out of the penitentiary, he crossed the street to come and see me. I thought I was fixing to have a fight right there with him in the street, and he shook my hand and said you saved my life by sending me to the penitentiary.”