New Security Guidelines for
Entry into Courthouse

There are two secured public entrances into the courthouse in Ukiah, and one secured public entrance in Fort Bragg.  All people entering the courthouse, including litigants, attorneys, law enforcement, and employees are screened by the use of metal detectors.  Items brought in will be scanned.

Effective February 1, 2004, ALL knives are prohibited.  If you bring a knife to the courthouse, you will be asked to return it to a safe place (such as your car or office) before you may enter.

The guidelines for a secured courthouse are as follows:

• The entrances in the Ukiah courthouse that are accessible to the public are the Perkins Street entrance and the North State Street entrance. The North State Street entrance will be open from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.  The Perkins Street entrance will be open from 7:30 am to 5:30 am and is handicapped-accessible.

• Exiting from the courthouse will be limited to North State Street and Perkins Street.

• The entrance to the Ten Mile Justice Center in Fort Bragg is the main entrance on South Franklin Street.  This entrance is open from 7:45am to 5:00pm, and is handicapped-accessible.

• Exiting from the Ten Mile Justice Center will be limited to the main entrance on South Franklin Street.

Procedures will resemble those used by airport security:

• You will be asked to take everything out of your pockets.  Contents will be screened.

• You will be asked to lay flat brief cases and purses before they going through the scanner.

• You will be asked to walk through a metal detector.  If you have metal plates within your body, you will be asked to present medical verification of the presence of this metal.

• If metal is detected once you walk through the metal detector, you will be asked to step aside and one of the security staff will "wand" you to identify the source of the metal. 

• If there is metal detected in the area of your shoes, you will be asked to raise your pant legs for the security staff to be able to see if there are metal objects within your socks or boots.  You may be asked to remove your shoes.

• If you are in a wheel chair, staff will use a wand to scan you and your wheel chair.

• If the security staff confiscates any objects from you, the object/s will not be returned to you.  They will be given to the Sheriff's Department for destruction.  However, if security finds an unallowed, legal object on you, you will be given the option to return it to a safe place (i.e., car, office) before entering the courthouse.

• Objects that will not be allowed include:  alcohol, bullets, can openers, chains over 12", corkscrews, drugs, flammable liquids, forks, guns, guns (replica), handcuffs, handcuff keys, knitting needles, pocket knives, fixed blade knives, kubatons, leathermans, laser pointers, mace, drug paraphernalia, pepper spray, pointed devices (e.g. metal nail files), punch knives, razor blades, large safety pins, scimitar, scissors, screwdrivers, stun guns, tools.  These objects are all considered weapons.