Latest news with #CapitolSecurity
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Gov. Tim Walz says Legislature should reconsider guns at Capitol complex in wake of lawmaker shootings
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday the Legislature should reconsider allowing people to carry firearms inside the State Capitol in wake of the shootings of two lawmakers and their spouses inside their homes over the weekend. State law allows handguns at the Capitol so long as someone has a permit to carry. But any state court can limit firearms within its own buildings, and that includes the Minnesota Judicial Center, where the Minnesota Supreme Court has proceedings on the Capitol complex. "I think there's going to be a conversation, and this will be a broader one, in the legislature and with us of what we can do to provide that kind of security," Walz told reporters Thursday. "I think the conversation will come up at the Capitol. I made no bones about it that I think it's inappropriate that we carry firearms in the Capitol, and I think we have to reassess that." The shooting of DFL Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and the killing of DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, which officials described as a politically motivated assassination, has upended lawmakers' sense of safety. Authorities said the accused killer had a hit list that included the names of 45 state and federal elected officials who are Democrats. Walz's comments came after there was a "threat of violence" to the Capitol building on Wednesday, according to a statement Thursday from the House Republican Caucus spokeswoman. GOP Rep. Jim Nash notified law enforcement and the House Sergeant at Arms of a text message a constituent received that was "threatening in nature," according to the news release. The person who allegedly sent it was arrested and is in Carver County Jail. "The threat was not aimed at any particular lawmaker but the message did include a threat of violence at the Capitol," the statement said. Prohibiting guns at the State Capitol would require the Legislature's approval, which is unlikely in the tied House and DFL-led Senate. Rob Doar, senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, in a social media post said that doing so won't prevent bad actors from committing violence. "It only disarms the very people with the strongest incentive to protect life: themselves and their colleagues," he wrote. "Security theater isn't security. Constitutional rights don't vanish at the Capitol steps." The tragedy has renewed a debate about security at the capitol complex more broadly. Right now there is no single point of entry or security screening to enter the capitol building, and some believe that should change. Others are adamant the building should remain as accessible to the public as Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security in its recent report said there has been $19 million allocated for security upgrades at the complex over the last five years. Part of their mission statement is that the "Capitol, Minnesota Senate, and State Office Buildings must remain open in both reality and perception."
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Lawmakers on edge as statehouse security tightens after Minnesota shootings
MADISON, Wis. — Anxious lawmakers convened Wednesday under heightened security in Wisconsin's state Capitol, one of the most publicly accessible statehouses in the country, days after a legislator and her husband in neighboring Minnesota were shot and killed at their home and others were targeted. The tension playing out in Wisconsin and other states after the Minnesota killings pits those who want to keep state capitols as open and accessible as possible against those concerned about increasing threats and acts of violence against officeholders.
CNN
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘We're not safe': US lawmakers demand more be done after political violence in Minnesota
Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota has decided to sleep with a loaded pistol near his nightstand after the deadly shootings targeting Minnesota state lawmakers and their families over the weekend. Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan didn't know he was potentially putting himself at risk by attending a 'No Kings' protest in his Wisconsin district Saturday because he didn't find out until the next day that his name had been included among the Minnesota suspect's alleged writings. And Rep. Tim Burchett, who has repeatedly raised lawmaker safety concerns with House GOP leadership, is now leading an effort to get members of Congress around-the-clock security services when they're in their home states. 'I don't want to go to one of my colleagues' funerals because I didn't speak up,' the Tennessee Republican told CNN. The fatal shootings in Minnesota have reignited the long-standing question of how to ensure the safety of 535 US lawmakers and their families with limited resources in an increasingly toxic political environment where threats of violence against politicians are at an all-time high. In 2024 alone, US Capitol Police investigated more than 9,000 threats against lawmakers, marking an 83% increase from the year prior and part of a trend of growing threats against public officials. After the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the Capitol Police established new departments to take on the increased threats including a stand-alone intelligence bureau and with it, an expansion of intelligence-gathering systems. During a budget hearing earlier this year, then-USCP Chief Thomas Manger made a substantial request – close to $1 billion – to maintain and expand the department's current operations, with a focus on monitoring and handling threats. 'We are not an ordinary law enforcement agency,' said Manger, seeking to justify the department's request by citing the rise in threats, need for new technologies as well as 288 additional officers, and comparing the USCP work to that of federal agencies like the Secret Service and FBI. In the wake of the Minnesota incident, efforts are underway to examine how to increase the security funding available to lawmakers, a source familiar with the process told CNN. The US Capitol Police is enhancing security for members of Congress 'impacted' by the Minnesota shootings and offered 24-hour protection for those lawmakers whose names appeared among the alleged shooter's writings that investigators say they found, CNN previously reported. 'We have been working around the clock with our Congressional, federal, state and local partners to ensure that the Members of Congress impacted by this terrible event have a strong security plan,' Capitol Police said in a statement Monday. 'We continue to closely coordinate with the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms to enhance security for Members of Congress.' USCP also noted 'proactive enhancements,' but did not elaborate on what those would be. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee are pressing Speaker Mike Johnson to do more, writing in a letter obtained by CNN that the responsibility to protect all lawmakers 'starts with you.' Beyond funding levels, many members have felt in recent days there is a larger issue at play. They believe there is a lack of coordination between Capitol Police and local authorities regarding security threats when lawmakers are in their districts. 'Why is it so hard to get information in this moment?' a source familiar with the conversations about lawmaker security said of the flow of information after the Minnesota incident. House Republicans received a briefing by law enforcement officials on Saturday, shortly after the attack that left one Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband dead, and another state legislator and his wife wounded. On the call, multiple GOP lawmakers told CNN they raised concerns about the threats they face and pressed officials on the call on how to keep their families safe. Many left unsatisfied. Burchett characterized the response from leadership and law enforcement personnel as 'the same old thing.' One glaring issue, a federal law enforcement source told CNN, is that the Capitol Police force is not the Secret Service and was never designed to protect hundreds of lawmakers and their families. The USSS, with a larger budget and a list of protectees in the dozens, not hundreds, has been plagued by its own coordination issues with local and state law enforcement, which were exposed in the wake of the assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump last summer. A bipartisan group of senators and House Democrats received briefings Tuesday. 'The threat to public officials and their families is very real,' Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told CNN as he left a briefing on Capitol Hill, calling it 'sobering.' Saying that lawmakers were 'discussing' additional measures, the veteran Democrat said 'there's a lot being done that's not being reported and won't be reported, but there's more that has to be done.' 'I have more security than most – I have a security detail, one is with me right now – but most of my colleagues don't have that. Before they expanded coverage for me, I hope that others would be helped too,' said Durbin, the longtime second-ranking Democrat in the Senate. While the Minnesota attack has placed a renewed focus on how law enforcement addresses high-profile threats of violence against public officials, lawmakers have long called for an overhaul of security practices, with focus on resources dedicated to information sharing. Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who met with Johnson months ago after he said a man was arrested in connection with 'a potential plot on [his] life,' told CNN that USCP hadn't informed him of the threat – he only learned about it from local authorities. 'We're not safe and our families are not safe. Capitol Police does a great job. They're great people. But they're not set up for this. They don't have the resources,' Moskowitz told CNN. The Florida Democrat said he is prepared to upend procedure and try to force Congress into a secret session to address lawmaker security if leadership doesn't act swiftly in the wake of the Minnesota attacks. Currently, lawmakers can take a number of steps to beef up their security protocols, including seeking reimbursements for bulletproof vest purchases, for hiring security personnel in certain instances or getting their own security training, and for making a range of security enhancements to their district offices. Rank-and-file members – unlike congressional leadership – do not receive a dedicated security detail. And when a lawmaker is granted – based on threat level – temporary security, the detail is not assigned to also protect the lawmaker's family, prompting many to use personal or campaign funds for additional security. The perceived breakdowns in communication when lawmakers are back in their districts are leading some to take security protocols into their own hands. 'If the United States House of Representatives cannot protect my family, I will. Period,' GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, told CNN. A spate of recent attacks has seen House Majority Leader Steve Scalise seriously wounded by a gunman targeting a congressional baseball team practice in 2017, lawmakers across the Capitol at risk during the January 6, 2021, riot at US Capitol and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband attacked in their California home in 2022. And as recently as July, mere months before the 2024 presidential election, Trump was targeted in two apparent assassination attempts. Even though many lawmakers told CNN the worsening political climate will not deter them from doing their job, some are beginning to question whether the risks are worth it. 'There's more at risk for you personally than ever before,' one GOP lawmaker granted the anonymity to speak freely about private conversations with their colleagues told CNN. 'I think people wonder, 'What the heck am I doing?'' Since the shootings this weekend, Capitol Police have been working to establish a new security plan for members. The department is looking into providing security for all members when they step outside Capitol grounds – something that has been largely reserved to lawmakers in top positions. The plan, which is in its beginning stages, could include signing agreements with state and local law enforcement in the areas where all 535 members and their family live to have those local officers provide security, one source familiar with the planning told CNN. Another option is setting the Capitol Police up like the Secret Service or FBI, where the department would have field offices around the country responsible for security when lawmakers are home or visiting the office's jurisdiction. 'We're trying to figure out what we can do in the short term,' the source familiar with the planning told CNN, adding that providing around-the-clock security isn't something the Capitol Police, in its current form, could handle. 'I don't think we have money for that.' Such protection 'would completely change us from a security mission to a protective mission … that's not something you can do overnight,' the source said. One official at the Secret Service noted that the federal agency – whose focus is security for a handful of protectees – is working to hire more agents. The challenge for Capitol Police to provide the same or similar level of protection as the Secret Service for hundreds of members, the USSS source said, would require a complete overhaul of the police department and a significant budget increase. 'It's just not possible,' the source said of the department in its current form and budgetary restraints – a budget controlled by the same lawmakers who are voicing these security concerns.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota's elected officials say lawmaker shootings have shattered their sense of safety
The assassinations of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted killings of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, have put a spotlight on the safety of elected officials and security in the Minnesota Capitol building. Authorities say the accused killer, Vance Boelter, had a hit list citing 45 state and federal officials and had visited two others Saturday morning before he shot the Hoffmans and murdered the Hortmans. "Boelter planned his attack carefully. He researched his victims and their families. He used the Internet and other tools to find their addresses and names, the names of the family members. He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes about the location of their homes," said Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, John Thompson, during a press conference Monday. "It's no exaggeration to say this is the stuff of nightmares." There has been discussion about safety around the state capitol for years, but the tragedy adds a new level of urgency. Several lawmakers told WCCO how the shootings shattered their sense of safety. In the immediate aftermath, the names of towns and cities where state lawmakers live were removed from the Minnesota Legislature's website, where those details had been public for many years. Anyone can enter the Minnesota State Capitol building without going through a metal detector or any sort of security screening. There are multiple ways to enter and not a single point of entry for the public, as is the case with other state capitols. Former GOP Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said he wanted there to be changes nearly a decade ago when he was first elevated to that role. Now he believes these attacks will finally be the "catalyst for change." "It is long overdue. When I was leader, I thought we should do it, but there's just a lot of people that really were against it from the standpoint of, it's the people's house. We want them to have easy access, and we do," he said. "But times have changed. They had changed even back then…it's common sense today." Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, said she is not sure that fortifying the Capitol building is the right answer to the larger problem of violent rhetoric, though she described working there as "being in a fishbowl." She wants changes to prohibit guns within the building and hopes political discourse will shift in a way that the building can remain more accessible to the public. "The thing that increases our safety is the way that we treat each other, the way we hold members and the public accountable for ratcheting up inflammatory rhetoric for the types of things that end up inciting violence," she said in an interview Monday. "How can we contribute to that kind of culture? Because that way can leave the people's house open." "I'm very aware of the ways in which those things increase the perception of this is a place where dangerous things happen, and it leads to more dangerous things happening," she added. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat representing Minnesota's Second District, said the attacks are reverberating to Washington, where Congress has already been on alert about safety for years. Craig said she does not ever do events without private security and that local law enforcement is made aware of her whereabouts whenever she is back in the state. "Many of us have already had to take precautionary measures, but this was the worst case scenario where someone literally comes to your home where you feel safe," she said. "This is why a number of years ago, Congress started allocating dollars for members of Congress to fortify our home security systems and other things that I won't go into because most of us don't talk about this much, because we don't want to tip anyone off to the measures in which we've taken to try to keep ourselves and our families safe." Craig said there was a meeting with Congressional leadership in the wake of the shootings in which members expressed concern that they do not have adequate security, despite the increase in resources in recent years. The Minnesota Legislature is a part-time, citizen Legislature, which means lawmakers are in session for about half of the year and then they return to their communities where they live and often work in other capacities — whether that's as farmers, teachers, small business owners, attorneys and other roles. "Many of us have other jobs, like really boring, normal jobs, and so, like, our world really isn't constructed to have the resources to do, like a big security protocol," Maye Quade said. "I'm just a suburban mom, I don't know how to put together a security apparatus, and I hate that that's something that we have to talk about." In a statement, a bipartisan panel of lawmakers working on the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security — tasked with providing recommendations to the governor and Legislature about security strategies — did not specifically name what they believe needs to change in the wake of this, but said safety is top of mind. "This horrific act of political violence highlights the vital importance of our continued diligence to ensure that members of the legislature, staff, those that work in State Government, and the public are safe within the walls of the State Capitol and around the Capitol complex," said DFL Rep. Kelly Moller, GOP Rep. Jim Nash, DFL Sen. Bonnie Westlin and GOP Sen. Warren Limmer in a statement. "As members of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, we are committed to continue working alongside our law enforcement partners and our colleagues in both the House and Senate to ensure the safety of everybody participating in our democratic process in Saint Paul." The committee in its recent report said there has been $19 million allocated for security upgrades over the last five years. Part of their mission statement is that the "Capitol, Minnesota Senate, and State Office Buildings must remain open in both reality and perception."
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Inver Grove Heights man cited for damaging Easter display outside Capitol
The Minnesota State Patrol says an Inver Grove Heights man damaged an Easter display outside the Capitol this week, according to a citation filed against him Thursday. Capitol Security dispatchers could see a man on camera 'destroying' a display on the building's front lawn on Monday afternoon, the citation said. The display, which had a permit, included a wooden cross and the Ten Commandments, according to a State Patrol spokesman. A trooper arrived as the man was walking away from the display. He told the trooper the display 'was hate speech and didn't know damaging it was against the law.' He also said he didn't know it 'belonged to anyone and thought it was just left outside,' the trooper wrote in the citation. The wooden cross was broken and part of the display was missing. The trooper cited the man, 36, for misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Woodbury attorney disbarred after being convicted of swindling client Charges: Woodbury HS student had replica gun in backpack, ran from school 3rd person pleads guilty in $120k attempt to bribe Feeding Our Future juror 19-year-old St. Paul man ID'd as victim of fatal stabbing in Dayton's Bluff Identical twin sister spared prison for trying to swap identity in fatal Amish buggy crash
