Both of my Brother-in-laws work for the County Sheriff. Both were court bailiffs at one time. And though most court cases are simple traffic disputes, they also see capital crimes and cases involving domestic violence and other disputes where peoples’ emotions are raw and tempers can flare easily. To them, scary is the though that some one slips a weapon in a courtroom and that they must intervene, putting their life and livelihood at risk. <br><br>I recently served jury duty. I brought a few books, the best survival gear for a court house, that I stuffed into my daypack. I had not given it a second thought, but I had a small penknife in one of the pockets. The bailiff at the entrance by the metal detectors searched the pack and discovered it. He simply put a tag on it and said I could retrieve it at the end of the day. He did smile though. It must have been because he was a former neighbor of mine <VBG>.<br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL