Nearly every time anyone enters the county courthouse, there is someone struggling before going through the metal detectors who seems confused about why cellphones are not allowed inside the building.

Cellphones aren’t allowed in order to keep people safe.

“So the reason we stopped allowing cellphones in without prior court approval was we were having issues with people taking pictures of inmates and posting them on Instagram or Facebook,” said President Judge Nancy L. Butts.

She is aware of this being a growing issue in other places.

“In other jurisdictions, not so much here, people were taking pictures of victims who were testifying and posting those photos,” Butts said.

She said there were known cases of victim testimony being recorded and posted on the internet.

“It’s a huge safety risk, so people weren’t coming forward to testify, especially in Philadelphia,” Butts said. “They were being killed or their families were being threatened. People are notorious for doing that.”

She said that as it stands, no audio or video recording happens in the court room, but the court reporter keeps a written log.

“We don’t have cameras in the

courtroom to be able to capture any of that real-time information,” she said.

Beyond the threats to witness testimony, other safety concerns are an issue.

“There are also weapons that are designed to look like a cellphone,” Butts said. “How could we tell that someone’s iPhone 6 is a cellphone, or is it really a weapon?”

She said she thought it put too much of a risk on the sheriff deputies to figure that out at the front door, and while they were in the process of determining the safety of a cellphone, they could be overpowered.

The courthouse has tried to make it clear that cellphones are not allowed to prevent people from showing up with nowhere to put their phone.

“We put notices everywhere,” Butts said. “They’re on the front door. If you’re summoned as a juror, they’re on the juror notices.”

She said those who do business with the courthouse can apply for a pass to bring in a cellphone.

“We’re not excluding you,” she said. “We just want to know who you are, and if we think you’re OK, that you’re not a possible danger to somebody, then we’ll give you a pass and let you in.”