The chief judge of the Richmond Circuit Court has ordered the city to provide more sheriff’s deputies for courtroom security, saying there’s been growing disorder at the John Marshall Courts Building.

In Monday’s edict, Chief Judge Jacqueline S. McClenney ordered at least three deputies to be on hand when judges are hearing criminal dockets, and at least two deputies for civil dockets.

Circuit Court Clerk Ed Jewett announced the move in a news release Thursday morning that said there have been an “increasing number of security incidents.”

“Over the last several months, there has been fighting in the public corridors, an overnight break in, an escape from custody by a defendant and an attack by a defendant on court personnel,” Jewett said in the release. “The judges are concerned about the safety of the public, the members of the bar and court staff.”

Courthouse security is primarily the responsibility of Sheriff Antionette V. Irving, who also runs the city jail. The sheriff’s operations are determined in part by how much funding her office receives from the city.

The Circuit Court judges have already taken legal action against the city over courthouse conditions writ large, ramping up pressure for local officials to provide more money to fix up the building or potentially build a new, more modern courthouse. An initial hearing in that matter has been set for June 30.

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Richmond’s seven Circuit Court judges threatened to take legal action against the city if it didn’t begin to tackle a situation they described as “untenable.”

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McClenney’s order notes that the judges have “communicated with and met and conferred with the Sheriff of the City of Richmond on multiple instances.”

Irving did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday morning.

In March, a man was charged with a felony after he allegedly broke into the John Marshall courthouse late at night and smashed an interior door. In May, Blackwell Elementary School was briefly placed on lockdown after an inmate escaped custody at the courthouse, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Under Virginia law, if judges disagree with a local sheriff on security protocols, the dispute can be referred to the state Compensation Board, which has oversight over the budgets of elected constitutional officers like sheriffs, prosecutors and court clerks. The state board helps to resolve those disputes “in accordance with existing budgeted funds and personnel.”

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Virginia law also allows local governments to assess a fee on criminal and traffic cases to have some of the costs for courthouse security be borne by courthouse users instead of the general public. Richmond assesses a courthouse security fee of $5, according to the city code. State law allows a fee of up to $20.

“We encourage the city administration to continue working with all the stakeholders to develop and fund the personnel and the building improvements needed to make the courthouses in the city of Richmond safe again,” Jewett said in his release.

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org