Federal court security officer Howington honored as CSO of the Year.
Howington CSO of the Year
Jimmy Howington, one of 33 court security officers in Arkansas who protect federal judges and courthouse visitors under contract with the U.S. Marshals Service, was honored Wednesday as CSO of the Year in a ceremony at the federal courthouse in downtown Little Rock.
Howington, 63, was chosen for the award from about 600 court security officers working in 30 courthouses in the seven states under the jurisdiction of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in St. Louis, said Mick Sharp, vice president of the Federal Services Division of Walden Security in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Howington, a former state trooper and sergeant major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, has worked in the Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Courthouse in Little Rock since 2016. He was recommended for the annual honor, for which he was given two plaques, a special coin and cash, for noticing and investigating two suspicious situations on courthouse property during a period of several bomb threats.
In one case, Howington noticed an unattended pressure cooker that turned out to belong to a maintenance worker. In the other instance, he overheard family members of a defendant making threats against a member of the U.S. attorney’s office. He was honored for immediately taking the proper steps to prevent anyone from being harmed in both situations.
Sharp told a gathering of courthouse employees, security workers and federal judges that “there is no better CSO workforce than what we have in Little Rock.”
The security company employs more than 2,000 court security officers in four of the nation’s 12 judicial circuits. Another Walden official said all the court security officers are seasoned law enforcement professionals who are at least 50 years old, yet have “the body of a 25-year-old rookie.”
“They represent the best of the best,” he said.
Sharp said that in each of the 10 federal districts in the states of the 8th Circuit, one court security officer is nominated every three months for the annual award. At the end of the year, one person is selected from a final list of 40 contenders.
Sharp said that while Little Rock has been “kind of a sleepy hollow,” as far as dangerous situations go in the court security universe, the company maintains high standards for hiring because, “You never know what’s going to happen, and you never know where it’s going to happen. We’re only as good as the men and women here who … wear our uniform.”
Howington, described by one of his superiors as “our humble Jimmy,” was also commended for his involvement in the community when away from work by, among other things, volunteering for the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots and fundraising for the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, which honors those who have lost loved ones in service to their country.
“This is unbelievable,” Howington said in accepting the awards as his wife, son, two daughters and five of his seven grandchildren looked on. “I wasn’t expecting this. It’s an honor. Thank you.”