Sheriff addresses security ahead of potential indictments in Georgia election probe
Fulton County courts ramp up security
After former President Donald Trump faced a judge in Miami Tuesday for an arraignment on federal charges, two members of law enforcement returned to our area with ideas of how to handle security when Trump potentially faces legal trouble in Fulton County this summer.
ATLANTA - Former President Donald Trump faced a judge in Miami on Tuesday for an arraignment on federal charges. While all eyes were on what was happening in the courtroom, law enforcement from our area watched something else: security.
The reason, Trump and his allies could face criminal indictments in Fulton County after meddling in the 2020 election in Georgia
At this point, it is unclear if the former president will be among those who will face a judge for charges following the Georgia election probe, as early as next month, but the Fulton County sheriff says he is making the appropriate security preparations at the courthouse.
"Our goal is to do a really good job of reading tomorrow's paper today," said Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat.
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Sheriff Labat sent two top commanders to Miami this week and to New York in April to gather intel on security operations at Trump's court proceedings.
"It was an opportunity for us to continue to learn and to understand the differences and what may work or may not have worked in one or both places," he said.
In April, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent a letter to Sheriff Labat warning him to up security ahead of an indictment decision. At the time she wrote, "open-source intelligence has indicated the announcement of decisions in this case may provoke a significant public reaction."
"Preparation is the key, and we want to make sure we are focused on providing safety and security," Sheriff Labat said.
Labat says these missions to other cities are standard and they are no stranger to high-profile cases here.
"We will continue to be focused on making sure we have the safest and most secure courthouse in America," he said.
The list of those who will face charge has not yet been released. DA Willis says an announcement will come sometime between July 11 and September 1, but there are indications a decision will be announced in August.