The killing of an armed man outside the governor’s office this week has reignited a potentially contentious debate about security at Colorado’s Capitol.
The argument has quickly boiled down to safety versus openness. We see no reason why our state Capitol can’t have both.
The legislature, by law, is responsible for the entire building while the executive branch is responsible for the Capitol’s first floor. It’s a shared responsibility, and together the two branches of government should be able to strike a sensible balance so everyone feels safer, while still allowing Colorado citizens who are part of the legislative process to have an unfettered voice in the policies that affect them.
Gov. Bill Ritter and legislative leaders will meet today to review the Capitol’s security and will eventually decide if it needs to be changed.
Metal detectors were installed at the Capitol after the 2001 terror attacks but were removed the following summer after some lawmakers believed the equipment restricted public access. At the time, the state patrol recommended that the equipment stay.
Other changes also were made after the Sept. 11 attacks. Additional surveillance cameras were installed throughout the building and even outside. And “panic buttons” were installed in most offices to alert state patrol troopers of an emergency.
A state patrol guard historically has been posted a few feet from the governor at all times.
Colorado is among the majority of states without metal detectors and X-ray machines in their capitols. Of the 22 states with metal detectors, 19 installed them after the Sept. 11 attacks. Some of the states without such equipment can’t afford it. Others, like Colorado, have enhanced their security inside the building in an effort to allow as much free access as possible. Some capitols have limited the number of doors open to the public and stepped up security around those doors – something Colorado has not done, but certainly could.
This is a key moment for public safety officials, lawmakers and officials from the executive branch to have a serious discussion not only about metal detectors and X-ray machines for those entering the building but also about safety procedures throughout the building. After Monday’s shooting, reverse 911 calls to state employees in various offices did not arrive for at least 30 minutes.
A magnetometer and an X-ray machine now have been installed at the Capitol’s north door. All other doors have been locked. There is a greater patrol presence. The precautions didn’t seem to bother tourists on Tuesday, many of whom were completely unaware of the shooting.
The Colorado State Patrol will give a recommendation as early as this week on how long the equipment should remain. It’s prudent for lawmakers to debate the security issue and to allocate necessary funding to enhance the building’s safety.
We still lean toward having an open and accessible Capitol – the people’s house, as Gov. Ritter so appropriately called it Monday – but understand the strong arguments for metal detectors and X-ray machines.
Either way, the decision should be as free of politics as possible, with public safety officials making the key decisions, as they have in the past.
