Face The State Staff Opinion
For those who frequent the state Capitol or have even been there in the last two years, you’ve had to walk through metal detectors to access the building. Bags are subject to an x-ray machine and some lucky individuals even get wanded down before being allowed to pass through into the building. The annual price tag of all this security: $1.6 million.
As a cost saving measure, the legislature just voted to close one of the two public entrances to the Capitol. Lawmakers should consider eliminating the costly system instead.
First, a little background: The secured entrances are a new addition, implemented in 2007 only after a gunman who claimed he was "the emperor" entered the building and after refusing to drop his gun, was killed by state troopers. Two months after the shooting, Gov. Bill Ritter proposed controlling public access while employing access card devices for Capitol employees and elected officials, paired with an increased state patrol presence.
For its $1.6 million price tag, you would expect that the Capitol to be nearly impenetrable to those wishing to do harm. Instead, all the money buys is a false sense of security.
As Face The State reporters proved one afternoon in late March, it is easy to bypass security by following staff with keycard access through any of the “locked” doors. As part of our FTS investigation, we discovered another weakness as well. We were also able to bypass the security system by exiting through locked doors at locations outside the secured entrances. We did this successfully five times through three different entrances. FTS worked with Fox 31 reporter Leland Vittert to document these lapses in capitol security; the report airs tonight at 9 pm.
It is also worth noting there are cameras at every entrance of the Capitol and state patrol allegedly monitors them, but not once were FTS staffers stopped or questioned when entering the building through what is supposed to be a secured access entrance.
Next year’s budget cuts back on capitol security by closing one of the public entrances for an annual savings of $100,000. Paring down state budget is laudable, but the cuts should be targeted, not merely symbolic. With the number of field trips and visitors the Capitol receives every day, the longer lines will create serious havoc and headache. That is, of course, for those who don't know how to get through the back door.
The legislature should scrap its current security system and re-open all entrances to the public. The Capitol is actually less safe now then it was two years ago because all the security is focused at the two public entrances. Anyone who has the ability to walk up the stairs behind a Capitol staffer and say, “Hey, hold the door!” can easily gain access to the building.
The previous system worked just fine and cost less money. Today's system limits public access while doing little to thwart would-be attackers.