The shooting of a Texas judge in the driveway of her Austin home has exposed inconsistences statewide over how threats against the court system are handled.
The Austin American-Statesman reported Sunday (atxne.ws/1lHJXp4) that tracking threats made against Texas judges is murky because of loosely defined protocols that vary from county to county.
State District Judge Julie Kocurek was shot in November and wasn't told about a threat made against her weeks earlier. Authorities have identified a person of interest but haven't charged anyone in the shooting.
Texas counties reported five instances last year of threats against a judge, court staff or juror. That was down from 18 in 2014, but the newspaper found that counties appear to be underreporting incidents despite a state law requiring them to do so.
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Information from: Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com
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