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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Luzerne County Courthouse has been hosting events of late rarely held under the dome.</p><p>&#8220;These are changing times and we&#8217;ve had some very serious crimes,&#8221; said President Judge Richard M. Hughes. &#8220;It&#8217;s no secret in Luzerne County that we have a number of gangs.&#8221;</p><p>And citing safety concerns related to gang activity, the county judiciary in recent months has transferred the location of a handful of preliminary hearings from district judge&#8217;s offices, which have almost no security, to the less vulnerable county courthouse.</p><p>Specifically, Hughes and other county officials said, worries of violence, witness intimidation and retaliation often provoke the moves.</p><p>According to Hughes, the District Attorney&#8217;s Office has petitioned for the transfer of at least three preliminary hearings in his half-year as president judge, and choosing to err on the side of caution, he has moved all of them.</p><p><strong>Gang suspect</strong></p><p>He did so most recently for Hazleton homicide suspect and reputed Crip gang member Rafael Mora-Polanco, 26 &#8212; who was treated to the altered arrangements Friday for a preliminary hearing on allegations he killed 35-year-old Jorge Marrero &#8212; and his siblings, who face witness intimidation charges.</p><p>Mora-Polanco was moved from the county prison to the courthouse early in the morning and removed from the courthouse without much fanfare.</p><p>But in a more dramatic display, nearly two dozen heavily-armed law enforcement officers from state, federal and local agencies on May 22 stalked the halls and grounds of the courthouse during a preliminary hearing on firearms charges for reputed Bloods gang members Marquis Williams and his brother, Herman Ayala Jr.</p><p>Officials increased security in response to reported posturing by the street gang. Bloods members allegedly tailed Hazleton police in March as they transported the defendants to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility after a postponed hearing.</p><p>District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said gangs are exercising such intimidation tactics as new gangs develop and the groups try to increase their visibility and show they are not fearful of law enforcement.</p><p>&#8220;Typically you know if it&#8217;s going to be a difficult case to manage,&#8221; Salavantis said. &#8220;First and foremost my thought is, &#8216;Is it safe? Is it safe for law enforcement? Is it safe for the judge? Is it safe for victims?&#8217;&#8221;</p><p><strong>Bystanders&#8217; demeanor</strong></p><p>Police often can judge if a defendant might be trouble from the demeanor of bystanders at a crime scene, she said. And if threats are identified as a case progresses, Salavantis said she may then ask to transfer the case away from a district judge&#8217;s office, which often are located in the neighborhoods where the crimes have taken place.</p><p>Still, Salavantis said her office only moves to transfer jurisdiction under rare circumstances, and has only asked to transfer a few in her time as the county&#8217;s chief prosecutor. A transfer does not cost the county much in terms of money, she said, but rescheduling hearings and reallocating resources is trying on the county&#8217;s employees.</p><p>Despite any reluctance to seek transfers, 2015 undeniably has seen an inordinate number of them.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re issues that are not going to disappear,&#8221; Salavantis said. And if the number hearings transferred for security continues to grow, she added, &#8220;We&#8217;re going to have to decide how to deal with it in different ways.&#8221;</p><p>The president judge suggests technology could offer some of those different way to tackle security problems.</p><p>For example, Hughes said district judges on night duty might find themselves vulnerable when arriving alone to their sometimes-remote offices. But in the age of Skype and video conferencing, he said he doesn&#8217;t see why judges should have to take such a risk to arraign a defendant.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to see us get to the point where our district judges could utilize, from their homes even, video conferencing,&#8221; Hughes said.</p><p>And if not from home, he said, judges could perhaps conduct arraignments from some other secure location, such as a police department.</p><p><strong>Security enhancements</strong></p><p>But even if the county finds itself in a position to make such changes, a magistrate&#8217;s physical office must still exist, and &#8212; armed with a $70,000 grant from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) &#8212; Hughes says the county soon will be taking steps to make needed upgrades where possible.</p><p>Bullet-resistant glass tops the list of proposed upgrades, the president judge said, with enhanced camera and lighting systems also being discussed.</p><p>County Court Administrator Michael Shucosky said the AOPC grant comes to Luzerne County&#8217;s court system free from any mandate outside the requirement the county use the funds to enhance security at district judge&#8217;s offices.</p><p>The grant money currently is available to the county, however Hughes said he could not provide a timeline yet for implementation, as the county first plans to evaluate each magistrate&#8217;s office. Some offices will be moving, he said, though exactly which offices has not been decided.</p><p>Shucosky said the evaluation is intended primarily to ensure the county is leasing its district judges&#8217; facilities at fair market rates, and county-owned properties may be employed to house the offices where possible.</p><p>Once long-term locations have been settled, he said security improvements will follow.</p><p>But Shucosky warned security upgrades are costly &#8212; he said, for example, installing bullet-resistant glass can cost tens of thousands of dollars &#8212; and $70,000 isn&#8217;t a whole lot of money.</p><p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t go very far, so we have to prioritize,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Salavantis </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_stefanie_mug.jpg</photo0><caption0>Salavantis </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_shucosky-Michael.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Shucosky </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_shucosky-Michael.jpg</photo1><caption1>Shucosky </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_hughes.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hughes </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_hughes.jpg</photo2><caption2>Hughes </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/gun-violence-logo.pdf">
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<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Security eyed as cases moved from district judges to courthouse</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By James O&#8217;Malley</p><p>jomalley@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach James O&#8217;Malley at 570-991-6390 or on Twitter @TL_omalley.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Security eyed as cases moved from district judges to Luzerne County Courthouse