Providing security at the Lincoln County Courthouse poses some challenges for Sheriff Todd Brackett. Those challenges range from money, to the courthouse's 189-year-old design.

“They didn't build it with modern-day security concerns in mind,” Brackett said.

Wider stairways and halls would be safer for the security officers and the public if a disturbance was happening, he said. And there's so little space for people to wait their turns at the screening station, those who show up at peak times may have to wait outside in the elements, Brackett said.

During a screening, the officers check through any bags, then have the person walk through a metal detector.

Brackett couldn't recall a gun ever turning up in a screening, but people do show up with sharp objects like letter openers and hunting and pocket knives, that they may have forgotten they had with them, he said.

The screenings take place roughly 60 percent of the time the courthouse is open, Brackett said. His goal is 100 percent, but that comes down to money.

The state reimburses Lincoln County for more than two-thirds of the county's costs to provide security at the courthouse, Brackett said. With urging from Maine Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Leigh Saufley in recent years, the state has increased the money it puts into securing the courts.

Brackett is hopeful that trend will continue. For now, he has no plans to ask county taxpayers for more security funding.

In recent decades, the state has taken over court security for most counties. But Lincoln, Kennebec, Penobscot and Somerset still do their own, under contracts that help cover the counties' costs.

Brackett said it's an ideal arrangement for Lincoln County, because the courthouse also houses most of the county's other offices. The screenings and the deputies' presence in the building help to protect those offices, as well as the courts.

People who work at the courthouse don't have to go through the screenings, Brackett said. But they have all passed extensive background checks, and they're all subject to random security checks.

Lincoln County and other agencies that protect courthouses nationwide could be in line for some free training and equipment, under federal legislation U.S. Senator Angus King, I-Maine is co-sponsoring.

The bill proposes the “Local Courthouse Safety Act.” It would provide access to security training, and authorize states to tap existing grant funds to improve security, according to a March 19 press release from King's office.

The act would also help get unused federal security equipment, like metal detectors, into the hands of local courthouse security staff. The local agencies would apply to the federal government, and only have to pay shipping costs, King spokesperson Crystal Canney said March 19.

Being a county agency instead of a state one would not exclude Lincoln County from applying for the resources, Canney said.

“Maine has over 30 courthouses located all over the state,” King said in the release. “The dedicated men and women who work to protect them every day deserve access to the appropriate resources and equipment to keep them safe, which is exactly what this vital piece of legislation does at no additional cost to the taxpayers.”

Brackett praised the courthouse security training the state provides. But he would welcome any additional training the bill could bring, he said.

Brackett said he would also be interested in seeing what federal equipment becomes available if the bill passes. The county has two working metal detectors, but they have some age on them; newer ones might offer some different technology that could help with screenings, he said.

Some of the features found in newer courthouses, like protective glass in the screening area and machines that can X-ray bags, would be good additions, Brackett said.

“Equipment or anything to help us enhance the way we provide screening in the older structure would be helpful to us,” he said.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.