State Capitol steps up patrols after FBI alert
Barriers erected amid fears of armed protests
Police at the state Capitol in Hartford have increased patrols and put up new barriers around the building as the FBI has warned of plans for armed protests at capitols across the country ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week.
“The Connecticut State Capitol Police is continuing to monitor the aftermath of incidents that took place in Washington DC last week,” Officer Scott Driscoll, a spokesman for the Capitol police, said Monday, in a written statement. “With the addition of extra patrols and guardrails on the property, steps are being taken to maintain our high level of safety and security. SCPD is aware of potential events over the next few weeks and as we monitor these any safety adjustments that need to be made will be addressed.”
Gov. Ned Lamont said that state police, working with regional and national partners, were tracking social media diligently for threats. “So we will be ready, but I have a high degree of confidence that Connecticut will remain peaceful,” Lamont said Monday.
Lamont’s chief of staff, Paul Mounds, said that the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Capitol police are coordinating security assessments of state buildings, but he would not go into detail on specific security measures. Lamont has been receiving daily security updates and will continue to receive that information through the inauguration, Mounds added.
Legislative leaders have also been in contact with authorities to address safety at the Capitol.
“My office has been in touch with Connecticut State Capitol Police to discuss preparedness and the safety of legislators and staff,” House Speaker Matt Ritter said. “Peaceful protest is part of the fabric of our country;
“Peaceful protest is part of the fabric of our country; mayhem and insurrection are not.”
— Connecticut House Speaker Matt Ritter
mayhem and insurrection are not.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Monday he was aware of the threats the FBI has warned of, which come after an armed mob stormed the U.S. Capitol last week and temporarily disrupted the certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory. He said he had spoken to state officials about them.
“There is highly credible intelligence about domestic terrorists groups posing a threat in state capitols that has cause very considerable concern,” Blumenthal said. “And I have spoken to high-ranking officials as well as a Biden administration nominee as recently as this morning. And if there is a very direct and significant less from the shocking and sickening mob assault last week it is that preparation is absolutely critical. And that is why state authorities need to be planning and preparing for the worst ever as we hope for the best.”
The Connecticut State Police said Monday they are constantly monitoring events and information, and sharing that with local, state and federal partners.
“While we are very focused on the safety of all, at this point, we can not get into specifics,” said Brian Foley, an aide to Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James Rovella.
No officials have said whether there are any direct threats in Connecticut.
Some state capitols and the U.S. Capitol have issued new restrictions ahead of the inauguration. Driscoll said that nothing similar is in place in Connecticut, but that could change as they monitor the situation.
Lamont has directed the Connecticut National Guard to stand ready to assist in Washington, but Mounds said as of Monday there has been no request for help.
The state Capitol in Hartford has been the site of scores of the protests in recent years, only growing in frequency through 2020 as some groups challenged restrictions on COVID-19 mandates and others challenged systemic racism following high-profile police killings across the country.
But amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, activity inside the Capitol has been strictly curtailed with lawmakers making only a handful of visits to the building to cast votes on key legislative measures. The current legislative session is expected to again keep traffic inside the Capitol to a minimum. But the building also houses offices for Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.
When asked about the situation, a spokesman for Lamont said the administration does not comment on the governor’s security. Lamont, like past governors, is protected aroundthe-clock by a contingent of state police troopers.
As Trump supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, lawmakers in Connecticut marked the opening of the 2021 legislative session with an unprecedented series of outdoor ceremonies meant to safeguard against the transmission of coronavirus.
A handful of groups, amounting to roughly 500, were on hand for the ceremonies protesting vaccination and pandemic restrictions. The protests, like past demonstrations at the state Capitol, were mostly peaceful with the exception of the arrest of a 44-year-old anti-vaccination protester who was charged with spitting on a Black Lives Matter protester during an altercation, according to police.
After what happened at the U.S. Capitol, staff from the offices of Ritter and Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney met with the Capitol police Chief Luis Casanova to assess security.
While armed protests have taken place at the state Capitol before, they have gone on without major incident. In 2014, security at the Capitol complex was bolstered after decades of relatively unfettered access.
“Back in 2014, we put in the metal detectors and locked a lot of the doors,” Ritter told The Courant last week. “There were some members who have tried in the past to undo that. I can tell you that, as long as I am speaker, there will never be a debate about that. In 2021, you need that security in place. As long as I have a say, we will have metal detectors, and you will have to enter through one entrance to get into the state Capitol.”