Colorado & Denver News

by Terry Jessup
DENVER (AP) ― Five years after lawmakers ordered metal-detectors removed from the state Capitol, a fatal shooting in a public hallway rekindled a debate over the trade-off between openness and safety.

Gov. Bill Ritter and lawmakers insisted the public should have easy access to the place they call "the people's building," but they conceded that stiffer security measures may be in store.

"Listen, we understand it makes us feel very unsafe when an event like that happens," Gov. Bill Ritter said Tuesday. "We will revisit building security and we will do so in a thoughtful and a prudent way."

Ritter said he would meet with legislative leaders Wednesday to revisit the building's security in the wake of the shooting. He wouldn't speculate on how long the process would take and said access would be limited to one entrance in the meantime.

The metal detectors had first been installed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Initially, the Capitol was entirely closed to the public after the attacks but reopened nearly a month later under heightened security. Public access was limited to one entrance and visitors were screened with a metal detector, and viewing balconies in the dome were placed off-limits.

The metal detectors were removed nine months later over concerns they were too much of an obstacle to Coloradans who want to visit. The dome was reopened this year.

The detectors were back Tuesday as workers and tourists returned to the building through the single entrance now open.

Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Golden, who sponsored the measure calling for removal of the metal detectors, said the decision was justified at the time. She said lawmakers will meet with state troopers in charge of security and the governor's office to determine if changes are needed.

"We know we have a very serious obligation to measure the needs of a free and open democratic society with the protection of the people who visit this building, that inhabit this building and work for government," she said.

"We will try to be very thoughtful about how we approach this, and not take an approach to this that gives us a sense of security while not actually achieving it."

Fitz-Gerald said 34 of 35 senators backed the resolution urging that the security measures be "abandoned entirely and the Colorado State Capitol should be reopened."

Ritter said he was gratified to see tourists returning to the Capitol Tuesday, saying it was a sign they have faith they will be protected.

Troopers said even without metal detectors, the Capitol is safe because it's protected by cameras and troopers patrolling the halls.

Kae Warnock, policy specialist for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said metal detectors and other security measures are part of a growing trend after a 1998 shooting at the nation's Capitol that left two dead and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

She said before the terrorist attacks, only three state capitols had metal detectors. Now more than 20 do, and nearly all have made sure they have access to them if they are needed.

"You have to look at the nature of legislatures and capitol buildings. The legislature is accessible to people and they want to keep it that way," she said.

She said there is no evidence metal detectors make public buildings safer. The U.S. Capitol had them when the two officers were killed in 1998 and a gunman still got through.

Lance Clem, a spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol, which is responsible for Capitol security, said the decision on whether to limit access is a political one.

"It's symbolic for the state to say we have open government. We have open government and easy access to people who make laws," he said.

Warnock said there is a political price to pay if citizens are restricted from entering public buildings. She said forcing people to wait in lines sends a message that visitors aren't welcome.

Lynn Setzer, spokeswoman for Jefferson County Schools, said school officials rejected suggestions the schools install metal detectors after the 1998 massacre at the district's Columbine High School and a 2006 shooting at Platte Valley High School in Bailey that left a student and the gunman dead.

She said there was no evidence metal detectors were effective.

Setzer said evidence shows anti-bullying and safety programs do more to prevent violence than metal detectors, which she described as a logistical nightmare for busy schools. She said it would also undermine the learning environment.

Pueblo city councilman Randy Thurston brought a group of teen council leaders studying government for a tour of the Capitol on Thursday and said he was glad security was beefed up following the shooting. He said Pueblo City Hall has no security and he plans to bring it up at the next meeting.

"This brings to light that elected officials are prone to be targets. We definitely need to take this seriously," he said.

(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)