I would say the fault lies with more than the Sheriff's Office. It seem like (and this is IMHO) court Dep. many times are older, and going out on a limb to say, not as well trained. As with any job, you become complacent. No one should EVER accompany a prisoner alone. It is a two person job, no if’s and’s or but’s. When that person becomes “yours” you pat him down again. I don’t care if he was in the custody of 10 cops before you and they all say they checked him. You check for yourself. And never without a partner. Checking your weapon while transporting or dealing w/a prisoner is a given. You never have it on you. Too many variables, they could get it from you, etc. Again, the reason for a two-person rule. In fact, if they are high-risk, you have more, as many as you need. It happens to everyone at some point, complacency. Even more of a reason to have frequent training, to pound it in your head that you aren’t invincible. Most of our court dep. here are older men and women, it’s a less stressful position, and many go there at the end of their careers. They lose sight of the fact that they are dealing w/ the same criminals that they once dealt with on the street with much vigilance. Very sad. I know I am guilty of it. But, I should be more thankful that I am part of a very progressive agency that has, what seems like, constant trainings (I curse them when they interfere with my schedule). We have state of the art equipment and they are very serious about officer safety. Most sheriff's offices are huge, their trainings may not be as frequent, etc. My heart goes out to the Dep. and her family.