Enhanced security at the B.C. legislature is capturing weapons on a daily basis, say officials, and proving its worth as capital buildings in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere deal with the rising threat of shootings.
New X-ray machines and metal detectors at the entrance to the legislature have been in place since January, after a security review that was prompted by the October 2014 shooting incident on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Security officials are continually reviewing their use, and evaluating new threat levels prompted by other events, such as Monday’s incident at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.. Police shot an apparently mentally ill man who pulled a weapon.
“Since we’ve started with the scanner, every day we’re encountering knives,” said sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz, who is in charge of legislature security. “The size of the knives depends on the blade length. They are not prohibited weapons, but weapons we’d be concerned about, and we’d take them off people and return them back.”
Security guards have also seized tactical batons and pepper spray flagged by the scanner, Lenz said in an interview.
“The surprising part is people know they are going through an X-ray, and they are bringing it. In most cases they go through and say: ‘Oh we didn’t know we couldn’t’ or ‘We didn’t know it’d be a concern.’ ”
So far, no one has brought a firearm to the legislature. Lenz said he expects that to change this summer with more visits by U.S. tourists.
One man did bring a laser pointer that was realistically shaped and detailed like a gun. “It looked just like a handgun,” Lenz said.
The man, who was quickly pulled aside by security, didn’t think it would be an issue but later admitted he understood the concern, said Lenz.
“The X-ray equipment is definitely doing its job. It’s ensuring items that could harm are being removed. I’m not saying people bringing them even have that intent, but the idea is to remove those from building.”
The new scanners cost $235,000 and included a redesign of the building’s entrance. Some legislature security guards have been armed. So far, there have been few complaints from visitors, said Lenz.
The scanners are operating every day, but will be re-evaluated when MLAs end their spring session in May depending on security- threat levels.
“Everyone in these fields raised their posture in view of what’s happened in Brussels and Paris and what you see across the world,” Lenz said. “There’s always the potential. And the idea is you need to balance the security posture that we use with the threat that we know, and still maintain democracy where people have the right to go to public facilities.”
