There are two courthouse buildings that I go to on a more-than-once-a-year basis in my city. I often wear sandals with a large metal buckle; when I walk thru, they set off the alarm. I saw the deputy look down the first time it happened and said "its your sandals, go ahead on, you're fine" (I was wearing a skirt at the time so nothing was covered up by pants), and I looked back and saw in the bank of lights around the frame, only the bottom couple were lit up.

I never have the issue "resolved" in any other way, don't have to take off my shoes and go back thru, don't have to be hand-wanded, etc.

Edited to add: The first time I alarmed the WTMD for my sandals, when I dressed for the day and left home, I didn't know I would go to the courthouse later that day, or I might have worn different shoes. Once I saw how easily the alarm was resolved, I still wore them if I wanted to, even if I knew I would be going to court that day.

Keys, wallets and cellphones go into a small bowl which you slide on a ledge past the WTMD on the outside (push the bowl at least halfway past the detector, walk thru, they hand you your bowl). They check keys for handcuff keys (if they see one, you can leave and put them in your car or you can surrender them there - they won't hold them and give them back on your exit... and... ummm... that knowledge is from observation not personal experience ).

I supposed that's the difference between professional officers trained to do a real job, and clerks who are trained to do something in an attempt to justify the existence of their job.

Cali