DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa district judge is calling on Madison County and other officials to beef up security at county courthouses in the wake of a gun incident in March.

Iowa Fifth Judicial District Chief Judge Arthur Gamble recently told judges from the 16 counties he oversees that they need to start talking with sheriffs and county supervisors about putting deputies in courtrooms when court is in session to protect judges and the public.

The Des Moines Register says the conversations are part of an effort to avoid a situation similar to the March 24 incident in Winterset, when a man pulled a handgun out of his pocket as a deputy tried to handcuff him. The man was captured after briefly escaping.