Audit finds Wisconsin Capitol Police emergency response times up, calls for better tracking

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Police who are responsible for security in the Wisconsin Capitol responded faster to emergency alarms in legislative offices than they did to other building alarms, according to an audit ordered amid concerns about response times that was released Tuesday.

The report from the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau comes after a state senator in 2022 said she triggered the emergency alarm and no one responded. It also comes after security was again in the spotlight when an armed man entered the Capitol in October looking for Gov. Tony Evers.

Security at the Capitol is provided by a separate police division that is under control of the state Department of Administration. In addition to the high-profile Capitol building, the Capitol Police are also charged with providing security at state properties across Wisconsin and protecting the governor, state lawmakers and members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

In January 2022, someone in the office of state Sen. Joan Ballweg said they triggered the alarm, but no officer responded. That resulted in the state Senate ordering an outside audit of the Capitol Police by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department.

Capitol Police instituted numerous changes following that report, including improving the emergency alarm system, and lawmakers in August ordered another review by the Legislative Audit Bureau, which was released Tuesday.

The latest audit found that Capitol Police responded 4.3% faster to legislative alarms than they did on average to the 300 alarms triggered between 2021 and 2023.

However, the audit recommended that Capitol Police do a better job of recording response times of officers and improving the agency’s assessment of those response times. That includes reporting on trends that could lead to additional training or guidance on how to respond.

The audit also recommends that Capitol Police do a better job of recruiting and retaining officers, including creating a mentorship program and bolstering training. The vacancy rate for Capitol Police positions increased from 17.3% in July 2021 to 18.2% in July 2023.

All of the audit’s recommendations have either already been implemented or are in the process of being done, said Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld in a written response to the report.

Wisconsin’s Capitol is among the most open in the country. It does not have metal detectors or other screening for people when they enter. There are multiple doors through which the public can enter the building.

Thirty-nine other states have metal detectors at the Capitol and 31 states have X-ray machines to scan items that people bring into the buildings, the audit found.

While concealed weapons are allowed in the Wisconsin Capitol, firearms cannot be openly carried. The man arrested in October who was looking for Evers had a loaded handgun in a holster. The man said he didn’t intend to harm anyone.