State legislator alleges profiling by security staff

Concerned about racial profiling among security personnel around Capitol Square, Rep. Emilia Sykes plans to meet soon with the state director of public safety to discuss ways to prevent incidents.

“No longer can my race, gender, age, or any other characteristic subject me to differential treatment as I’m serving my community,” Sykes, who is black, wrote Thursday on Twitter.

Security at the Statehouse and the Riffe Center, home to House offices, has been beefed up in the past three years, including the addition of badgeactivated gates and metal detectors. Sykes, an Akron Democrat, first raised concerns with Dan Lay, the House sergeant-at-arms, in February 2016 that she had been asked on several occasions to allow her handbag to be searched even after she had shown her Statehouse ID. On one occasion, she said, a fellow legislator who is white was allowed through without question, but she was told that her bag Sykes needed to be searched.

“When I questioned him as to why I was searched and asked to go through detectors, but my fellow member was not required to do the same, I was told, ‘You look too young to be a legislator,’” Sykes wrote. She is 32.

A few weeks ago, Sykes said she was stopped again, this time trying to enter the Riffe Center, even though she had her state-issued badge.

Rep. Alicia Reece, a Cincinnati Democrat who also is black, reported having a problem once with security when an aide had to get her badge from her office.

Sykes wrote this week to John Born, director of the Department of Public Safety:

“Once again, I was being challenged while entering my workplace and not afforded the same ease of access as colleagues, lobbyists and staff. Since then, I have been in communication with several colleagues, specifically white men, who have expressed their disbelief over the treatment I have received because they have never experienced such treatment.”

Sykes said she met with State Highway Patrol representatives and came away realizing that “if I wanted any changes, I needed to speak louder and directly to the decision-makers, leaders and drafters of the policies.”

Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Robert Sellers said it already has reached out to Sykes to schedule a meeting. The patrol oversees Statehouse security, while Riffe Center security is handled by the Department of Administrative Services.

“We remain committed to providing safety with fair and equal treatment for everyone who enters the Capitol Square complex,” Sellers said.