Safety a Capitol concern

The Associated Press

OLYMPIA — The state Capitol needs to take immediate security precautions, including installation of new checkpoints and the hiring of a special security force, safety consultants say.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, state officials are considering ways to beef up security as part of a $112 million renovation of the Capitol. The building was damaged by the Nisqually Earthquake last winter, and extensive interior restoration and upgrades have been in the works for several years.

Two committees overseeing the restoration and safety of the Capitol campus heard initial recommendations Thursday from security experts hired by the Department of General Administration.

Among the recommendations:

Visitors to the Capitol would be funneled through a single entrance at the main front door, rather than being allowed to use five other entrances as well. Metal detectors would be erected.

Capitol windows would be sealed and those in vulnerable offices would be replaced with shatterproof glass.

A security force would be hired to replace or augment the State Patrol troopers who now provide around-the-clock patrols.

A protected area would be set aside for truck deliveries.

Motion detectors, closed circuit television security monitors and videotaping of building entrances would be added. Air intake pipes would be secured.

Other recommendations are expected later.

Reaction by the committee members was mixed, and no decisions were made.

Secretary of State Sam Reed objected to limiting public access to one entrance.

"Clearly we need more security, but I’m much more interested in the public and the schoolchildren of the state knowing the Capitol is theirs, so they’re welcome and all that," he said.

State budget director Marty Brown said sealing the windows in a building known for its air circulation problems is a bad idea.

State Patrol Capt. Eric Robertson said his agency will work with other state officials to upgrade security. He had no comment on the possibility of a new capital police force.

During earlier discussions of the Capitol remodeling, officials had repeatedly called for maximum public access. Security concerns now have to be added to the equation, Reed said.

"I must say our age of innocence is over, and I count myself as one of those who were innocent and naive," he said. "Maybe it’s our Northwest attitude. We want to be casual about these things. We want to be open."

Still, he said, it’s time to think about better security.

"In our office, we don’t have security. We do have panic buttons," he said. "We found if we push them, it can be two or three days before anyone responded."

Senate Democratic Caucus chairwoman Harriet Spanel, D-Bellingham, suggested that everyone, including staffers, be checked for weapons before entering the building.

"Anyone can walk into the building right now," she said.

On the Net:

General administration: www.ga.wa.gov