Throughput

In an environment where scannees are unfamiliar with the routine of hand-held metal detector use, such as at a courthouse, accurately scanning an individual may take as much as a couple of minutes to do well, especially when there are multiple alarm sources on one person, i.e., belt buckle, pocket knife, and steel shanks in boots. However, in a school environment, after the program has become routine, and where the students are generally cooperative and anxious to get through the metal detection system quickly, it should take no more than about 30 seconds to scan an individual with a hand-held detector. Assuming there are no difficult or ambivalent students, most schools can plan to hand scan two students per minute per operator.

A good routine for any school weapon detection program involves training the student, staff, and parent populations. If the program requirements are repeated in presentations, in classrooms, and in writing, it will take much less time to settle into a routine. Instructional posters located at the scanning equipment should include diagrams of how a scannee should stand. For a complete, full-scale metal detection program to be held every morning for every member of the school, about 1-2 weeks will be needed for students to acclimate themselves by coming a few minutes earlier and wearing clothing and accessories that are less suspect. The first week of any metal-detection program will be chaotic.