I ask this question because every courthouse I go in down there has a metal detector. At least one of the counties doesn't even make you go through it. It just seems rather odd that I have to make sure I leave my pocket knife in the truck before I go get deeds.
It is everywhere. I had to leave my P38 (old army can opener that hangs on my key chain) at the entry to both a county and federal courthouse.
Call me DangerousB-)
Gads. We are so loaded with stuff, that they send us back to the truck, before we even try. Poor security gal, had a fit, when "big Help" had more tools, and kinves than most criminals!
🙂
N
In the Baltimore area, there are metal detectors in the court houses and they use them. And YES, the Baltimore area is dangerous.
To get deeds, leave all "weapons" at home or in the car, you are likely to never see them again once confiscated at the courthouse.
Our new state of the art courthouse has baggage scanner (everything must pass through) and walk through detectors and also about 3 or 4 deputy sheriffs with wands.
There was an incident a little while back and now you must remove your belt and out it on the scanner also. I guess shoes will benext.
I make sure evrything is out of my pockets when I head to the courthouse.
That is the republic of West Florida flag haging nest to Old Glory.
Bunch of scalawags and land grabbers who tried to put the squeeze on the USA at one time about 200 years ago.e. Yes Mr. Jim Flemeing, I did get your email. 😐
Can't tell you about Alabama, but here in New York courthouses are full of criminals, and their families and friends.
Inmates awaiting trial are transported in every day from Rikers Island or from police precinct holding pens for court appearances, etc., and contraband and security is always a concern.
In addition, there is no one more concerned about their own well-being than attorneys.......;-)
what stone age court house doesn't have a metal detector now? has been the norm here for 10-15 years.
There are a LOT of them that do it... I can rattle off a ton of them, none of which are in Alabama.
> what stone age court house doesn't have a metal detector now?
It was Gray's Harbor County, up until a few months ago.....
Seems to me, the bad guys win, when the rest of us are subjected to search and seizure...:-@
I can't tell you of any county in Tennessee where you have to go through a metal detector to do deed research, or in fact, to just walk in the courthouse.
Most of the deeds are either in a small enough town in Kentucky to not worry about pocketknives or are in a separate administration building in the bigger towns. I can't think of any that I've been to that have detectors.
In contrast, I was supporting a surveying bill in the State Capitol a few weeks ago (you now have to be a licensed surveyor to be County Surveyor, thank you Richard) and dressed up in my three piece suit, I had to disclose my pocketknife. The guard had enough common sense and decency not to get hung up on the technicalities.
They installed them in Lawton when it looked like the McVeigh trail might be held here. Once they changed the venue then they took them out but had one guard with a wand still left. After two months the sheriff said it was not in his budget to keep a guard there and pulled him.
Nothing now at all to go inside our county courthouse.
But they have been somewhat effective in Okahoma, well maybe I should rephrase that. They have moved those with intent outside in the parking lots. We have had 3 or 4 shooting outside courthouse that past year. I think the latest was in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Most courthouses that I know of in Alabama, except for a few rural counties, have them. Even county employees must enter through them.
When the average person goes to the courthouse, they probably are there for a reason they are not happy with. They can feel as if they get the run around between different departments and can get frustrated.
In Jefferson County (Birmingham), there have been about 300 county employees laid off within the past year with another 75 who will find out their future employment this Saturday. Most other employees have had their hours or pay cut back. This is due to severe financial mismanagement and widespread corruption that as put several county commissioners in federal prison and left the county nearly bankrupt and about 1 billion in debt. With all that, the average wait time to renew car tags and drivers licences is about 6 hours, unless you renew online or by mail. The main hallway is lined with benches and chairs for those in line who must enter by a specific door and are admitted five at a time.
Some people don't know how to handle anger.
It is getting to be that way everywhere. I almost got arrested a few years ago when I went to get a passport application at the courthouse. They told me I had to empty my pockets,take my shoes off, and go through the screening device to walk 15' to get the form off the counter! I could see the damned things and refused. I asked the screener person if he would please take the 4 steps over to the counter, get me a form, and bring it to me. He said he couldn't. I told him I was going to walk around the screener and get a form, and he said he would arrest me. I told him that I wanted him to call the Dept. of State and ask them if I should be required to undergo harassment to get a passport application form. He asked me to sit down and said he would call his supervisor. I told him I would not, and asked him again to take 4 steps and get me a form. He said that he could not leave his "post." About this time a woman waiting in line picked up an application and walked over and handed it to me. She looked at the "guard" and said "You should be ashamed of yourself!" I was so flabbergasted I hardly knew what to do, but I remember thanking her profusely, and muttering "you idiot" at the "guard" as I left.
I feel so much safer knowing the government is protecting me...
They have the scanners in Maine in the district court houses, but they usually only use them when family court is in session.
Every Court House I've been in in East Texas has had them several years.
Not to get into every County Clerk's office, into halls that lead to courtrooms, YES.
Have adopted taking truck key and only needed objects into those places.
Found out that Acme Knee supports will make one ring like a pin finder. :-O
Are Alabamians Paranoid - No
Try going to the Fulton county courthouse in downtown Atlanta. Not only does everyone, including law enforcement, go through the metal detectors, all others (civilians) get wanded as well. Randomly they pull someone out of line for a minor pat down search. One time I was there with my Bud/PC who had on steel-toed boots. They made him take them off and re-wanded him. Then they rifled through the 2 or 3 sheets of paper in the manilla file folder he was carrying. That day I left everything, including my belt in the truck. I got patted down also just because I was with him.
Western NC is different. I was in court and Judge's chambers a few times carrying my knife clipped openly in my pocket. No problems at all. After I started surveying and visiting other courthouses I quit being lax and started leaving everything behind in the vehicle.
Alabamans ain't no more paranoid than anywhere else these days would be final answer.
We have metal detectors at every courthouse in this area of PA.
It is a shame. We are losing our freedoms right before our eyes.
People say it is worth it "to be safe." I disagree.
Once they spend a little less money and put all of the records on-line, who will need to go to a courthouse, except for "court"?
There is one courthouse with metal detectors and deputies on duty where I go routinely. Absolutely every other courthouse I visit regularly has no such foolishness. Our local courthouse has six entrances other than the main entrance. Most have at least three or four entrances. Some have installed remote cameras that no one pays any attention to.
