Within hours of the slaying of a judge, court reporter and deputy in an Atlanta courthouse Friday, Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard was at the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse to remind his deputies of their training.

He said he also wanted to make sure judges and court personnel feel secure and well-protected.

"It really raises the hair on my neck," he said of the Atlanta shootings, which "just raised the bar another notch" in terms of the level of security needed in the nation's courthouses.

"It can happen here. That's exactly what I'm worried about."

And it did happen 20 years ago, when Ronnie Lee Gardner, now incarcerated on Utah's death row, shot and killed an attorney in a failed attempt to escape from authorities in the Metropolitan Hall of Justice, where the new Salt Lake City Library now stands.

On April 2, 1985, the then-23-year-old Gardner was in shackles and on his way to 3rd District Court, charged with an Oct. 9, 1984, murder, when a woman passed him and handed him a gun.

The shooting began immediately, killing attorney Michael J. Burdell, 38, and wounding bailiff George "Nick" Kirk, 58. In the ensuing melee, Gardner was shot in the chest and captured. Kirk and other bailiffs were unarmed, by order of the court.

Then-Salt Lake County Sheriff N.D. Hayward blamed the layout of the Metropolitan Hall of Justice for what happened that day.

Back then, guards brought prison inmates to the basement public elevator entrance, up a public elevator and through a public hallway before placing them in a holding cell outside the courtroom.

Things have changed.

In the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City, current home of 3rd District Court, there is a series of prisoner-holding facilities, Salt Lake Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Jeroscak said.

Transporting officers bring prisoners through jail-type doors; they enter the courthouse through different doors than the public.

Now there are metal detectors in the public entrances, and deputies stationed at public entrance entrances to the courthouse are trained to be thorough, even if there is a long line.

And unlike 1985, all deputies and bailiffs are armed.

In Utah County, the Atlanta shootings also were the talk of the day.

"It's a concern for everyone of us because every day you're sitting in rooms with folks who have been accused of violent crimes," said Donna Kelly, Utah County deputy attorney. "But there's enough security there that hopefully something like that would never happen."

Some courthouses around the country don't allow officers to be armed inside, she said.

U.S. District Court chief clerk Markus Zimmer said the federal court facility in Salt Lake City is covered by two agencies. The U.S. Marshal's Office is responsible for judicial security as well as security for criminal suspects while the Federal Protective Service patrols the perimeter of the building and parking lot as well as monitors vehicles, such as trucks.