By M.D. Kittle | Wisconsin Reporter

MADISON — Perhaps it’s a sign of the volatile times at the Capitol, but a new pilot program in the Senate aims to combat threats, Wisconsin Reporter has learned.

But a Senate official asserts the “panic” program has nothing to do with the harassment and intimidation some lawmakers claim they experienced during the peak of the spring protests. Nor was it implemented in response to the Badger State’s concealed carry law that could make the Capitol a well-armed building, beginning Wednesday.

Senate Chief Clerk Rob Marchant said a technological device has been placed in some Senate offices, although he declined to provide too many details about the panic system, worrying it would compromise security.

“It is basically a (device) that can be positioned at each person’s workstation, and its function is to provide direct notification to Capitol Police, so that they can come right away,” Marchant told Wisconsin Reporter.

He could not provide cost estimates, but said the system he is piloting is “incredibly inexpensive compared to others we’ve look at.”

The evaluation continues just as Wisconsin’s concealed carry law goes into effect. Much of the Capitol will be open to concealed firearms for those who have obtained the proper permits. The Senate, unlike the Assembly, however, will not allow weapons in the gallery.

Marchant said the panic technology has nothing to do with Wisconsin joining the 48 other states that allow people to carry concealed weapons.

He said his office began researching the technology last year, possibly before.

Rising threats?

Some lawmakers have complained that they had received specific threats in February and March, the height of the protests over Act 10, the GOP-led law that curbed collective bargaining for most public employees. Law enforcement officials investigated several of those complaints.

Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs, when contacted by Wisconsin Reporter, said he would comment but only after approval from the state Department of Administration, which did not return phone calls.

Marchant said he isn’t following any specific orders in gathering information about the panic system, which is his priority.

If the test phase goes well, the chief clerk said, the system could be expanded in the Senate and the Assembly. Patrick Fuller, Marchant’s counterpart in the Assembly, did not return a phone call from Wisconsin Reporter.

This system “could be deployed throughout the Capitol. I think another option is that it could be more easily deployed to the offices of those who request it,” Marchant said.

The Capitol, legislative aides and others have told Wisconsin Reporter, has had a code system in place in the event of a threatening situation. Some say there have been other panic-type devices deployed over the years.

Concealed and carry’s shadow

From time to time, particularly as tensions have boiled over concerning hotly debated bills, the Capitol has been the scene of hostile and threatening situations, lawmakers say.

That’s a big reason why Senate President Mike Ellis, R-Neenah, has been adamant about not allowing firearms at the Capitol.

“He has responded at the time that this is a building of debate and that can inspire the kind of passions and emotions that we obviously saw this spring,” said Ellis’ legislative assistant Mike Boerger. “It’s in this sort of an atmosphere that weapons, whether wielded by good guys or bad guys, are unwelcome.”

As a Capitol employee, Boerger said he’s not going to lose any sleep over concealed weapons, however, adding that he was more concerned about the metal detectors and wand stations that went up for a short time during the spring protests.

Other statehouse employees voiced greater concerns.

Travis Frazier, an intern in the office of state Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, said he sees some hypocrisy built into the law. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student said his campus and others ban carrying concealed weapons, an allowance provided in the law. Several legislative offices Monday were putting up signs on their doorways prohibiting weapons.

“I feel like if everyone was completely for it, why do we have all these special bans?” Frazier said. “If this was meant to keep us safe, we wouldn’t have all these people opposed.”

Charlie Bellin, legislative assistant for State Rep. Richard Spanbauer, R-Oshkosh, said he isn’t bothered by the change, noting that it should be business as usual. The Assembly, unlike the Senate, will allow permitted guns in the chamber’s gallery and on the floor.

“I don’t feel any less safe with it,” Bellin said. “I think it’s a good thing overall.”

Andrew Welhouse, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said he’s glad Wisconsin has become the 49th state to allow concealed weapons. He said the pilot panic switch program in the Senate underscores the need for concealed carry.

“It doesn’t surprise me that the policy is being updated. During the whole craziness this year, there were some very specific targeted threats against our senators that were investigated,” Welhouse said. “I think the passage of the conceal and carry law has mostly to do with personal protection, and that has everything to do with personal safety.”

TAKE ACTION

Contact the Senate’s Chief Clerk’s office:

legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/scc/