News

Frank P. Lalley Named Judicial Security Administrator

November 18, 2002

HARRISBURG, November 19, 2002 — Court Administrator of Pennsylvania Zygmont A. Pines today announced the hiring of Frank P. Lalley as Judicial Security Administrator for the state court system. Lalley, whose duties began November 18, will administer the first systematic look at security issues in Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System. The broad-based work will cover security aspects at all levels of the judiciary including district justices, county trial courts and appellate-level courts. Court administrative offices also will be included in the security assessment. “Frank has demonstrated considerable insight and distinguished himself throughout his career with a commitment to safety-related issues in and around county courthouses,” Pines said. “Such qualities should serve the judiciary well as the state court system expands its focus on implementing sound security measures to better serve our judicial staffs, litigants, lawyers and the commonwealth’s citizens.” The hiring represents the latest development in the judiciary’s continued efforts to ensure the safe administration of justice across the state. For example, Lalley’s work will dovetail with the Judicial Council of Pennsylvania’s emphasis on issues concerning security in the Unified Judicial System. Earlier this year, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Stephen A. Zappala appointed Justice Sandra Schultz Newman to facilitate the work through a special committee that conducted interviews with experts from around the state and country. To further that work, Lalley was hired by the Administrative Office to launch planning efforts with state and local court and county officials. Lalley will be based in the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts’ Louise Drive office in Mechanicsburg. The need for added staff to address security also was underscored by a survey of judicial safety conducted in 1999 by the AOPC in conjunction with faculty of the University of Pennsylvania that quantified various types of threats and acts of violence against judges. “Violence in the Judicial Workplace: One State’s Experience” was published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. The research broke new ground at the national level in understanding the nature of threats to state jurists and served as a theoretical underpinning for later state judiciary work in the area of judicial security. Lalley was Montgomery County Sheriff for 16 years. As sheriff, Lalley spearheaded numerous upgrades in technology and security involving the Montgomery County courts. Lalley holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Drexel University. A native of Scranton, he and his wife, Marie, have two adult children.