RUMFORD — Deputy Judicial Marshal Jermaine Arel, clad in a blue jacket and tie, waited at the rear of the security screening device for people wanting to enter the 11th District Courtroom in the Municipal Building on Monday.

When someone approaches who wants to enter the courtroom or the District Court clerk’s office, he stops them to make sure they enter through the metal detection device.

If someone is carrying a purse, he checks that, too, before allowing that person to enter.

The metal detector had been at the court for several years, but hadn’t been used for quite sometime. It was put back in operation Monday.

“We haven’t had enough manpower in the past,” he said. “When we have manpower and time, we do it.“

Arel, who is out of the Lewiston region of the state’s Judicial Marshal Service, said the screenings are for the safety of everyone.

“People really don’t mind. They know it is for their safety,” Arel said.

The security measures are now in use throughout the state’s court system.