Cell Phone Ban Brings in Cash for Sheriff's Office

The signs greet visitors as they walk up the steps to the Virginia Beach courthouse: Cell phones are not permitted in the building.

Still, hundreds of people show up each week with the devices in their pockets or purses. And rather than take them back to their vehicles, many have collectively shelled out thousands of dollars, in quarters, to the city's sheriff's office for a roughly 3-inch by 5-inch locker just inside the building's entrances.

Cha-Ching! I wonder what will be next.

You are not allowed to carry a coat into the courthouse, but we have conveniently provided you a coat check for just a dollar a coat. Oh and we do not allow anyone to speak unless they have purchased a talking permit for a small fee of 2$ per hour.