Audit finds security holes at Minnesota Capitol

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Capitol complex is overdue for significant security upgrades, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Legislative Auditor.

James Nobles told lawmakers it's time for them to consider weapons screening at key access points at the Capitol and surrounding state office buildings.  He also advised they take a serious look at beefing up the security staff to match their expanding work load.

"We realize that the physical configuration of this building and the State Office Building in particular create enormous challenges making these buildings more secure," Nobles told a legislative panel, "So it will be controversial. It potentially may be costly. There will be added inconvenience."

Nobles acknowledged the need to balance safety concerns with the desire to keep a building owned by the people of Minnesota open to them.  And yet because the Capitol has been so open, and symbolizes government power to some, it is by its very nature a vulnerable target.

"We are talking about public safety," Nobles remarked, "Literally, the public that comes here also shares in the security risks and vulnerabilities."

In addition to being the seat of state government, the Capitol is a major tourist destination for the Minnesota Historical Society. It's the place where many school children get their first exposure to the state's complex and storied political heritage.

"Every day they come to this building they are as exposed to these risks as you are."

Minimal Show of Force

Among the findings in the Nobles report is that Minnesota's Capitol lags behind 45 other state capitols in the number of sworn peace officers licensed to carry weapons on duty at any given time.

During session there are three sworn officers, supplemented by retired state patrol officers. Wisconsin, by comparison, has 40 full-time sworn officers and 20 part-timers at its Capitol in Madison.

Nobles noted that Minnesota's total Capitol security force fell from a high of 49 officers in 1999 to 39 officers in 2008, at the same time their duties grew to include monitoring 46,000 remote devices such as surveillance cameras and door alarms.

Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion agreed with Nobles that the state should create a formal, permanent safety panel to delve into enhancing safety at the Capitol. That group would also be asked to find ways to pay for those upgrades.

"I think as the Auditor's office stated we've perhaps been lucky to some extent up to this point in time," Campion told legislators, "You look at the numbers compared to what other state houses do those numbers speak for themselves."

The staff member who performed the audit, Joel Alter, said the last major incident was in 1972. Unknown persons detonated 40 sticks of dynamite in the Capitol basement which led to some injuries and significant damage to the building.

Attorney General's Doors

In a related issue the Legislative Auditor found that Attorney General Lori Swanson was justified in replacing two doors in her office with bullet proof doors that matched the 1904 building's historic architecture.

"You simply walk into the Attorney General's office I think you see it's quite unsecured," Nobles said, "Anybody any time can simply walk in that area and get pretty far into it."

Swanson had taken heat from some Republican lawmakers and in media accounts for replacing the doors, at a price of $5,000 each. In some media reports the doors were described as "sound proof" doors,which raised red flags for the Attorney General's detractors.

Nobles said the purchase request submitted to the Department of Administration referred to the doors initially as "sound attenuating" doors because Swanson's staff didn't want to alert the general public about the office's safety vulnerabilities.

He pointed out the Attorney General's office faces significant risk of intrusion by persons who may be hostile and dangerous.

"Potential security threats from people who are seeking pardons, people who are seeking to be let out of confinement at Moose Lake."

Moose Lake is the state facility where sex offenders at high risk of re-offending are confined after their prison terms end.

By John Croman, KARE 11 News

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