By Greg Knight, News of the North
Visitors to the Alaska State Capitol will soon be required to pass through screening similar to federal facilities and airports.
The Legislative Council met on Monday evening and, after lengthy discussion, adopted the rule which would see almost all visitors to the Capitol — excluding legislators and staff — be required to pass through metal detectors at the front entrance to the building.
In addition to the magnetometer screening of visitors, bags and other carried items would be subjected to X-ray scanning.
Legislators, staff and family members to lawmakers would enter through a special entrance to avoid the screening process.
The new policy passed on a 9-4 vote. Juneau Sen. Jesse Kiehl was one of the legislators voting against the measure.
The policy would only be in place when the Legislature is in regular or special session.
The new policy includes the following:
- Visitors must enter through the front doors of the Capitol.
- All visitors will be screened by a walk-through magnetometer. However, visitors may opt-out of the walk-through magnetometer and be screened by a handheld magnetometer or a physical pat-down performed by a legislative security officer or contracted security personnel.
- All carried items will be screened by an X-ray device.
- A person who escorts or allows a visitor in the Capitol through a door other than the main entrance must escort the visitor to the lobby of the Capitol, for standard entry screening.
- Delivery personnel are considered visitors and must enter through the front doors of the Capitol, complete standard entry screening, and obtain a visitor badge. Legislative Lounge deliveries made via the second-floor catwalk are exempt from screening requirements, as they are accompanied by legislative lounge employees.
- Contractors and vendors are considered visitors and must enter through the front doors of the Capitol, complete standard entry screening, and obtain an appropriate badge per the Identification Badge Policy.
- The following are prohibited in the Capitol Complex: Weapons or any objects that could reasonably be considered weapons or used to cause harm to occupants, including firearms, explosives, knives (except pocketknives with blades under 3 inches and knives used by legislative lounge staff for food preparation or service), clubs, batons, and blunt-force objects. Items deemed dangerous by security, such as fireworks, flammable substances, or corrosive materials.
- Visitors arriving with prohibited items must secure them offsite before entry will be granted. No storage facilities are available in the Capitol Complex.
