Security upgrades underway at Atlanta courthouse

Security improvements have begun at the Fulton County Courthouse where a judge, court reporter and deputy were shot and killed Friday, the Fulton County sheriff said.Plainclothes officers have been put in uniform and moved to courtrooms and 40 uniformed deputies have been added to the courthouse, Sheriff Myron Freeman said in a statement.Perimeter security has also been increased and a system has been set up to identify high-risk inmates, who will be escorted by officers with special training in handling such inmates.Additional safety equipment, including additional stun belts, also has been ordered."We will do everything in our power to keep such a tragedy from ever occurring again," Freeman said in a statement issued Tuesday evening.The changes come days after Brian Nichols allegedly overpowered a courthouse deputy, stole her gun and fatally shot Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes _ who was presiding over Nichols' rape trial _ and Barnes' court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. Nichols, 33, also is accused of killing deputy Sgt. Hoyt Teasley as Nichols fled the courthouse and federal agent David Wilhelm later that day.Authorities were taking no chances Tuesday during the first court appearance for Nichols since last week's violence. Nichols had his hands and ankles shackled during the brief hearing at the Fulton County Jail. Nineteen officers _ almost fivefold the norm _ packed the small cinderblock room to ensure there would be no mishaps.The judge informed Nichols that he was being held on the same rape charge that he was on trial for Friday. That previous rape charge is being used to hold Nichols as he's investigated in the courthouse shooting rampage as well as the federal agent's death. Assistant District Attorney Michele McCutcheon informed Cobb County Chief Magistrate Judge Frank Cox that the state will pursue four murder charges against Nichols.Nichols was held without bond, and no future court hearings were set.Nichols only spoke once, when the judge asked him if he had any questions."Not at this time," he said.Atlanta television station WSB-TV first reported there was a list that included the name of Judge Barnes and suggested it was a hit list. The station quoted unnamed sources as saying authorities failed to search Nichols' jail cell after two shanks were found in his shoes on Wednesday, two days before the shootings.In Wednesday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution an assistant prosecutor, Ash Joshi, downplayed its importance.Through Judge Barnes was the first person who police say Nichols killed, Joshi said prosecutors were not concerned by the list of names because its seemed to be courtroom notes and not part of any sort of vendetta.Joshi, who was helping prosecute Nichols in his rape trial, said the list included relatives of the woman he's accused of raping and her new boyfriend. Some names had stars beside them. Under the boyfriend's name, Nichols wrote expletives and a racial slur, Joshi said."I don't know what he was thinking," Joshi told the newspaper, "but it seemed he wanted to do them some harm if he ever had the opportunity."On the first page was written the names of Nichols' friends and his attorney, Barry Hazen. Joshi said it appeared to be only a contact list. Prosecutors shared the list with FBI agents in an effort to anticipate where Nichols might be hiding, or heading.On another page were written other names, including Judge Barnes; Nichols' boss, who testified against him during the retrial; and the lead prosecutor, Gayle Abramson.After Nichols' escape, the district attorney, two prosecutors and the alleged rape victim were given extra security, prosecution spokesman Erik Friedly said Wednesday.In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Mark Nichols described his younger brother on Tuesday night as caring, loyal and gentle."My brother is not a monster, as he's been portrayed to be," Mark Nichols said. Several times, he expressed disbelief about the turn of events."Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I'd be sitting here talking to you," he told King.A visitation was held for Brandau at a funeral home in DeKalb County, just east of Atlanta, Tuesday night. Family members declined to comment, but friends and co-workers warmly praised the court reporter."Since the second grade I've lived next door to her. She's nothing but wonderful," said neighbor Pat Todd. "Julie was great to her family, friends and co-workers. She had an awesome aura about her that a lot of people just don't have."Timothy Herring, a criminal defense lawyer, worked with Brandau. "She created and filled her own space on this earth. Her concern for other people and their well-being is what exactly marked her entire life," he said.Teasley's fellow officers have been grieving the loss of their friend and co-worker, but an outpouring of support from citizens and community leaders throughout the Atlanta area has made it easier, said the department's chief chaplain, Calvin Watkins.He said Tuesday that he has spoken to every deputy in the department collectively, and three or four individually. About a quarter of the 400 employees at the courthouse have paid visits to the chaplain's office since the killings, said the Rev. Clifton Dawkins Jr., Fulton County chaplain.The deputy Nichols is accused of overpowering and assaulting, Cynthia Hall, had her condition upgraded from critical to stable Monday. Hospital officials would not release her condition Tuesday.At a noonhour ceremony Tuesday, about 300 people packed the Fulton County Government Center atrium and the balconies overlooking it. Many wept as friends and co-workers shared thoughts and anecdotes about the victims of last week's killings.Among the crowd were about two dozen police officers from various local agencies. Those from Fulton County agencies wore horizontal black bands across their badges.