ROCKVILLE, Md. — A new security screening system is in place at the Montgomery County Council building, on Maryland Avenue in Rockville.
Starting Wednesday, members of the public visiting the building will have to enter from one of two entrances — one on the first floor that’s accessible through the parking garage or another that’s on the second floor and accessible from the Maryland Avenue side of the building.
At those points, visitors will have to pass through a metal detector and hand over their bags and packages for screening. As with many security checkpoints, visitors will have to take cellphones, coins, and keys out of their pockets and place them into a bin.
Unlike at the courthouses across the street, visitors won’t have to remove jackets or belts as they head through security.
Council members and staff will have to use card readers at other entrances to the building.
The council building is the site of public meetings and hearings that often draw large crowds, and the news release issued by the county council urges residents attending meetings to allow extra time to go through the checkpoints.
