NATCHEZ &8212; In the next week, the Adams County Sheriff&8217;s Office will finish putting in place measures designed to tighten security in the courthouse while still allowing the public the access they need, Sheriff Ronny Brown said.

Panic buttons are already being installed in key places in the courthouse and other buildings in the county&8217;s judicial complex to allow personnel to instantly and discreetly call law enforcement in case of an emergency.

And sometime next week, all entrances to the courthouse second floor, except for the stairway and elevator on the east end of the floor, will be closed to the public. After 5:30 p.m., all doors will be closed.

&8220;We&8217;ll secure the top floor with glass doors and have (two deputies) downstairs to watch who goes in and out,&8221; said Brown, whose office oversees the security of the courthouse complex. &8220;They&8217;ll have keys to the second-floor doors in case someone needs to get in.&8221;

The deputies will have handheld metal detectors, Brown said.

Everyone entering the courthouse will be screened for weapons, and all items such as purses, briefcases and packages will be scanned. Prohibited items include weapons and less-obvious items such as hammers, screwdrivers and nails.

Any time a deputy keeps an item at an entrance to the building, a receipt will be issued and the item returned to the person when he leaves the building, Brown said.

The sheriff asked anyone coming to a scheduled proceeding at the courthouse plan to arrive a few minutes in advance to avoid being late due to security procedures.

Brown said he and a security task force came up with the laundry list of security measures after researching what other counties did that worked.

The security work is costing the county $116,856.

Brown had requested $329,785 to furnish the courthouse with the above measures plus three more deputies to act as security, as well as an X-ray machine and a new metal detector.Also helping pay for judicial security is a $14,355 grant from the 2005 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, money the county found out in September it would receive.

At least some of that money is being used to install panic alarm buttons in the courthouse, Justice Court and Juvenile Detention Center and at City Hall.Brown said his department will continue to pursue other grants to help further boost courthouse security.