Public safety officials are calling for an outside review of the Capitol complex to assess security after a man got into the building after hours last week.
Debate about adding metal detectors or limiting points of entry had already started before the incident, after two lawmakers and their spouses were shot in their home last month.
Minnesota public safety commissioner Bob Jacobson said Tuesday the review will help inform changes.
“We want an outside perspective, someone who will ask the hard questions and help us see what we might not be seeing internally,” Jacobson said. “This is not about pointing fingers. It’s about coming together to understand what’s working, where the gaps are, and certainly, how we can strengthen our coordination moving forward.”
A criminal complaint alleges the 36-year-old went to the Capitol during open hours on Friday and used a wooden wedge to prop open a door. He then returned in the evening when the building was closed.
Ramsey County prosecutors say state Capitol security found the individual sitting naked in the Senate President’s chair holding an envelope that he said had his money. His clothes were found in the women’s restroom. Security cameras captured him walking from the restroom to the second floor.
He was charged with second degree burglary, entering a government building without consent and with intent to commit theft and has a competency evaluation pending on a separate case. Bogojevic said Capitol security was fully staffed on Friday night and no officers have been placed on leave at this time.
Bogojevic said the break-in over the weekend made the independent review more pressing.
“Balancing openness with security is never easy, but it’s a responsibility we take seriously and constantly evaluate, and we are standing with everyone taking this seriously, and that includes lawmakers calling for more robust protections,” Bogojevic said.
There has been an increase in security staffing at the Capitol since the shootings last month of two lawmakers and their spouses. A separate third-party probe will review the response to those shootings.
Some lawmakers and public safety officials have said the investigation is needed to probe the delay in getting word out to legislators about a potential threat to their safety. Jacobson said law enforcement agencies faced an unprecedented situation responding to the shootings and did well. But he said the after-action report could provide areas to improve should something similar ever happen again.
“We are going to learn from this and there are things that we can do better,” he said. “I can tell you when they tell us what we can do better, where those gaps are, how we can improve. We will take those and we will do that.”
Editor's note: MPR News is not naming the man charged in the Capitol break-in because the criminal charge he is facing is not violent and authorities have suspected he is experiencing mental-health issues.
