Courts in Las Vegas stepped up security Monday after Reno Family Court Judge Chuck Weller was wounded by a sniper.

All judges are being escorted to and from their vehicles by security, said Michael Sommermeyer, spokesman for the Clark County District Court system.

Police are also conducting perimeter patrols around the downtown Regional Justice Center and the Family Court campus at Bonanza and Pecos roads.

Such foot patrols are not uncommon outside Family Court, but Sommermeyer said officers would have more of a presence in the wake of the Reno shooting. "They'll beef it up a little bit. More than anything, it's a show of force."

A pair of uniformed officers could be seen walking through the crowded Family Court parking lot early Monday afternoon. They were trailed by cameramen from three local television stations.

At the metal detectors just inside the front doors of the building, bailiffs and attorneys chatted about the first news accounts of the shooting. Some had heard Weller was killed; others heard he was expected to pull through.

Sommermeyer said the investigation in Reno will likely determine how long Las Vegas courts remain in a heightened state of security. "It will probably go on until ... someone is arrested or we determine it's an isolated incident."

He said both county court sites pose security problems. The Family Court is a sprawling complex that is challenging to secure, Sommermeyer said. "We have some cameras, but not like we do at the RJC."

The justice center is monitored inside and out by a sophisticated surveillance system, including cameras that can see clearly to Charleston Boulevard, about eight blocks away. But judges there have to cross a public street to get into their secured parking area.

A parking garage with a secure walkway for judges was part of the original Regional Justice Center construction project but was eliminated by the county because of a budget crunch in the building's early planning stages.

County sources said Monday that the interior of the building had been a higher priority for judges than a parking garage.

In 1999, the Las Vegas City Council approved a request to waive the requirement for a parking facility. At the time, Nevada Supreme Court Judge Nancy Becker cited budget shortfalls for the changes.

The judge's parking lot is a gated area south of the building.

"Safety is number one, we always talk about safety," said Assistant Clark County Manager Elizabeth Quillin, who oversees the justice system.

"Judges are public figures, and they deal with controversial issues," Quillin said. "They go out to lunch, they have families, they volunteer at events. Whether you're a federal court judge or municipal court judge, just by the nature of the job, you could be a mark for some deranged person."

Judges working in the Regional Justice Center are escorted to their vehicles each evening by bailiffs. Sommermeyer said some judges don't care to be escorted, but the service will no longer be optional.

Security surrounding Family Court judges is tighter, given the high emotions that often coincide with the cases. The parking area for Family Court judges is tucked away in a building guarded by a 15-foot-fence, Quillin said.