New security measures will be put in place next week as Richmond transitions from a county with a historic courthouse to a county with a state-of-the-art judicial center.

Beginning Monday, citizens will be subject to being recorded by more than 80 surveillance cameras and having their packages passed through an X-ray scanner. They are also being prohibited to carry any type of weapon when conducting business with court officials at the new Richmond County Judicial Center.

An administrative order from Richmond County Senior Superior Court Judge Tanya Wallace and Chief District Court Judge Lisa Thacker also imposes a ban on cell phones, cameras, casual dress and any type of food or drink at the new facility.

Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tim Thompson, head of security at the new facility, said the ban on cell phones will be one of the more disputed rules, but judges don’t allow cell phones in the courtroom for a couple of reasons.

First, because of the inherent interruption they present when they ring, but also because of the picture-taking and video-recording capabilities on most models.

“It’s important that people understand that anything they bring in that’s prohibited is going right back out of here,” Thompson said Tuesday. “They can take it to their car, office, home or wherever they please, but it’s not coming in here. We’re not going to keep it for them, or tag it or anything like that, either.”

Visitors to the judicial center will be expected to continue parking in the gravel lot behind the courthouse, and cross Lee Street to get to the building.

Thompson said another focus of courthouse security will be to cut down on loitering and wandering around the courthouse.

“The building opens at 8 (a.m.), but the courtrooms won’t open until 9 (a.m.),” Thompson said. “Court begins at 9:30, and we feel that gives people ample time to get in and get situated, but once you’re in the courtroom you’re going to stay there.”

The Clerk of Court’s Office is the only department that will be open for business at 8 a.m. in the new building.

Thompson said security officers will crack down on repeated trips outside, or “smoke breaks,” at the judicial center, which doesn’t allow smoking anywhere on its premises.

Security checks will also be more high-tech at the judicial center than at the courthouse, as the county has installed an X-ray scanner device to examine the contents of visitor’s packages.

“There are going to be two lines at the judicial center, instead of the one line we have at the courthouse,” Thompson said. “One line will be for people with pocketbooks or briefcases or any type of package. They will have their contents examined by X-ray machine. The other line will be for people who just have stuff in their pockets, and the process won’t change for them. They’ll empty out their pockets into a bin and pass through the metal detector.”

A third emphasis at the judicial center will fall on the attire of visitors , with an administrative order banning several types and styles of clothing.

The ban encompasses halter tops, muscle shirts, tank tops or tube tops, as well as belly (half) shirts, shirts or tops with very low cut necklines or shirts with obscene sayings gestures or alcohol or drug advertisements.

The order requires all attire to “cover the midriff area,” for shorts and dresses to “be of reasonable length” and there is a ban on “sagging” pants below the waistline.

“People should also realize that there are 82 surveillance cameras on this premises, and they’re all recording all the time and being monitored all the time,” Thompson said. “So, if anyone does anything that is prohibited, it will be seen by someone and we will take swift action. It’s not going to be tolerated here.”

District Court Judge Scott Brewer expressed his satisfaction with the measures being put in place.

“I think the security at this building is very good,” Brewer, who practiced law at the old courthouse for 23 years as a prosecutor and judge, said Thursday. “If there’s any damage to the courthouse, sheriff’s deputies will be able to go back and look at when it took place, and react accordingly, as well as keeping a record of when it took place.”

The push for more security at the new facility was, at least in part, predicated upon an explosive device being set off at the Richmond County Courthouse in September of 2001, in the wake of 9/11.

Alexander McRae and Michael Lee Douglas have subsequently been convicted of setting off a cluster pipe bomb in the boiler room of the courthouse on the day Douglas was scheduled to appear in Richmond County Superior Court to face a charge of trafficking in cocaine. Both men were arrested the day after the bombing and are now serving lengthy sentences in federal prison. No one was injured in the attack.

The bombing also lead to a move by the North Carolina General Assembly to stiffen the penalty for offenders who set off an explosive device at a government building.

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.