Committee considers extending assault protections to court operations officers

LINCOLN — The Judiciary Committee took testimony on LB1169, a bill to add “court operations officers” to the protected categories in Nebraska’s assault statutes.

Sponsor Sen. Dave Wortikemper said the bill recognizes that many non‑sworn courthouse employees — courthouse screeners, civil process servers and other public‑facing court staff — confront risks similar to peace officers and emergency responders. "This bill corrects this disparity by bringing court operation officers into parity with other protected public safety classes," he told the committee.

Douglas County deputies and sheriff’s office representatives said court officers are often placed in harm’s way while performing security or serving court documents; William Winn (Douglas County) described an incident where a process server was shot at while serving papers. Labor and union representatives urged passage as a recruitment and safety measure.

Opponents, including Spike Eicholt for the ACLU of Nebraska and the Nebraska Criminal Defense Attorneys Association, argued enhancing penalties would blur distinctions between sworn law‑enforcement officers and civilians, questioned whether felony enhancements deter assaults, and urged proportionality in the criminal code. Eicholt recommended caution and suggested existing assault statutes already criminalize attacks on civilians.

Committee members asked about data on assaults against court staff, whether enhanced penalties would improve recruitment or deterrence, and how the statute would define the new protected role. Sponsor said drafting would specify duties that place court operations officers at risk and that the bill reorganizes assault classifications for clarity rather than broad expansion.

There was no committee vote; the sponsor asked the committee to advance LB1169 for amendment work.