The court is responsible for protecting participants in court proceedings who are present involuntarily. Court security must extend beyond protection of persons from criminal and assaultive behavior to include the protection of the judicial process itself. Security must ensure open access to the court, fair and impartial proceedings, and an orderly process. One focus of court security should be architectural design. This includes the provision of a limited number of public access entrances to facilitate monitoring and screening at entrances, facilities to separate opposing parties waiting for court appearances, and the design of traffic patterns in the court facility to reduce ease of access to courtrooms and court personnel. Court security staff should be given adequate time to prepare for and execute their duties, and they should be selected based on qualifications matched to job descriptions. Personnel selection should be coupled with background investigations and suitable training. All court personnel, not just security specialists, must be trained in security procedures appropriate to their job tasks. There is debate over whether weapons screening should be extended to all persons entering the court building. This is not yet the standard for screening. Panic alarms should be placed throughout the building at points where there is a high likelihood of injury or theft. Alarm signals should be sent to a central station which can identify the precise origin of each signal. Court security procedures should be precisely specified in writing.