BANGOR (AP) – Used for the first time at the Penobscot County Courthouse, X-ray machines and screeners found nearly three dozen knives and a box cutter, underscoring a need for greater security, officials said.

Court security was bolstered last week when the Maine Supreme Judicial Court used the Penobscot County Courthouse to hear cases for two days. An X-ray machine sitting idle since last year was put to use.

Screeners removed 34 knives from people, as well as a pair of scissors and eight utility tools over the course of two days, scanning more than 700 items, Penobscot County commissioners learned Tuesday. No guns were found.

Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross said people often carry knives, but the concern is that pocketknives or even scissors could become weapons inside a courthouse, where emotions and tensions rise with judges’ rulings.

Such security lapses that allow them to enter a courthouse mean security at state courts is not good enough, said state Court Administrator Ted Glessner.

While machines can find weapons, they cannot contend with the situations such as disputes, violent outbreaks, even drugs being passed to and from inmates, Ross said. “There’s no substitute for the experienced officer,” he said.

The first phase of improving security in Maine’s courts was purchasing the X-ray equipment, Glessner said. Phase two will call for staffing the equipment.

Finding money to pay for added security has been a daunting task, Glessner said. It was only in the waning days of the latest session that the Legislature approved $100,000 for handling the security equipment.

Glessner said the money will only go so far and could likely mean rotating security staff and equipment from court to court.

AP-ES-05-19-04 0219EDT