|
 he
machine the officer mans — a Metorex metal detector —
is unforgiving.
The
vast majority who pass through somehow set it off, which forces
them to try passing again, or to submit to a "hand frisk"
by a metal-detecting wand.
As
a result, the morning line to enter the courts at 100 Centre
St. or 60 Centre St., even with just a few dozen people on
it, can snake out the door. According to Sgt. Steve Crisafulli,
who supervises lobby security at Manhattan Criminal Court,
it can take as much as 20 minutes simply to enter the building.
Ten- or 15-minute waits are commonplace.
The
metal detectors are there in the name of security, so many
New Yorkers are willing to give the system a pass. Crisafulli
says he gets just a couple of complaints a week. But officers
who actually work the machines say they hear complaints all
the time, both about the length of the line and the intrusiveness
of the search.
No
one disputes the need for security in criminal courts. In
fact, each criminal courtroom is protected by at least four
uniformed officers with guns. Another group of officers patrols
the hallways and the areas outside. The place is always full
of cops in court to testify. In the lobby, there are more
court officers, who search or X-ray bags and who make the
public walk through metal detectors.
But
metal detectors are adjustable. In the state courts, they
are set at a level that causes nearly everyone who passes
to set them off, says Sgt. Robin Gutowski, who has worked
in court security for five years. The resulting beep-beep-beep
is incessant.
|
