State House during Thursday evening lockdown. Brian p. Photo by Sears.
A day after a unfounded danger of violence, on Thursday evening, the legislative complex in Annapolis was closed for two hours, some new details came out or official reaction.
“This is a situation that is under investigation,” Senate Chairman Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) told reporters on Friday. “And therefore, I cannot go into too much expansion on some specific reactions or reasons.”
In addition to investigation and follow -up by various law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the state house and immediate region, the village Wes Moore (D) said on Friday that his administration would conduct an “action review”.
Moore said that in general he was happy and grateful to the police response, but wanted to ensure that law enforcement activities are even more comfortable in the future emergency.
“We are going to do pressure tests to ensure that we are doing everything better,” he said.
A spokesperson of Moore said on Friday morning that the General Services Department, which oversees the Maryland Capital Police, would later release a time of incidents in the day of incidents, which was endangered on Thursday afternoon after the Annapolis police was in danger that he was leading the State House with a load gun. But no one was released from close to the business on Friday evening.
The call inspired an immediate lockdown and shelter-in-place order in the State House and the surrounding government buildings late on Thursday, which lasted from around 5 pm to 6:52 pm, but the police finally said that they found no signs of suspicious activity, and the general security protocol was restored.
Moore said that he was in his office on the second floor of the state house, when the danger came, the Governor House, was preparing to go to the road to the governor’s residence, where many mayor across the state were gathering for a reception.
“Like someone, your brain immediately goes away how your people are doing,” he said – referring to both your family and your employees.
On Thursday and Friday, many MLAs, employees, lobists, and others who were in State House or other legislative buildings during lockdown complained that there was very little or no information about what the nature of the Emergency or to do.
“We have now within the structure, [state troopers] A wonderful thing, “Sen Sarah. Elphrath (D-Aini Arundel) said. “I think we would all like a world that had a lesson service to keep us informed.”
Ferguson accepted frustration.
“I think these situations are running fast and running early,” he said. “There are always places for improvement.”
And yet even before Thursday’s emergency, the Presiding Officer of the Legislature was developing a plan to improve emergency communication around the capital complex.
Ferguson and House Speaker Edrien A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) announced on Friday that he had signed a contract for a new text message alert system.
Ferguson said, “Speaker and I have been talking about this issue for a long time.” We are very concerned about the clear lines of communication. “
Jones told his colleagues during the House Floor session on Friday that the state has been working on the installation of “Text Alert System” for a long time with the Maryland Office of Information System.
“We will continue our efforts to improve coordination and communication based on tomorrow’s experience,” he said.
The Legislature’s contract with Motorola will provide a text message warning system for emergency and other events.
“We know during communication [Thursday’s] The event is something where we know that 95% of the challenges with communication will be resolved with a real alert system, ”said Ferguson. “I think there is faith in moving forward.”
A system called Motorola Reve allows cell phones for distribution of emergency messages.
A Ferguson spokesperson said the system works in two ways. It can be pre-performed to include mobile phone numbers. It also has a geo-fencing system that will allow messages to send equipment to a specific area, even if the phone system is not subscribed, visitors and others allow to be alerted if there is an emergency in the area around the state house.
Getting the system was complicated by the number of agencies and branches of the government, whose field has various responsibilities for security.
The General Services Department oversees the Maryland Capital Police, which provides protection. The Legislature is responsible for the campus and employees in the state house campus.
The cost of the contract was not immediately available through the Legislature’s Office of the Legislature.
The testing for the new system was accelerated for the threat of Thursday and the bomb intimidation in January. It is going to start at the end of this week.
“Do I want us to have tomorrow?” Of course, “Ferguson said.
“Today’s sad reality is that it is not uncommon,” said Ferguson. “We have seen members in the political process an increase in the number of dangers being made in the campus. I think the result is what happens when political rhetoric is out of control and the political extreme turns into inciting those who can be unstable to do something physically. ,
Angelic Gingras of Capital News Service contributed to this report.
Re -published