Wisconsin Capitol security, lawmakers question possible changes
MADISON, Wis. - Is it time to beef up Wisconsin Capitol security? The Wisconsin Capitol has 12 places around the building where people can enter during the day; through one of those entrances Wednesday, police said a man with a gun walked right in and asked to see the governor.
There are no metal detectors to walk through. The state is in the minority in the country. The Council of State Governments in 2021 found 37 state Capitols had metal detectors.
Now, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos agree: They're not bringing in metal detectors. They said they want the public to be able to access their elected representatives.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers
Evers told Wisconsin Watch that he is against reducing entrances or forcing people to go through security screening. Vos said on X that he agreed with the governor.
FOX6 News asked lawmakers about the building's safety after Wednesday's incident.
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"There are plenty of examples of better security in Capitols all across the country. Not knowing all the details of what happened (Wednesday), I don’t know what the right answer is," said State Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay). "I do think we should be looking at some answers from other states. I think we need to be having a public hearing on gun laws that can keep us safer."
Wisconsin State Capitol Police
"I guess this is as safe as it is anywhere else," said State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine).
Wisconsin State Capitol Police said Joshua Pleasnick was shirtless with a holstered handgun Wednesday looking for the governor. Officers told him he couldn’t open carry a gun, and then arrested him. They said Pleasnick posted bail and returned later that same day outside the Capitol with an "AK-style rifle." Again, authorities said he was demanding to see the governor.
Wisconsin law allows people with concealed carry permits to bring their guns into the Capitol. Wanggaard, a former police officer, has a permit and carries inside the building.
"That's why I'm not concerned about my security, because I can defend myself in the building – and others if I had to," he said.
Andraca also has a concealed carry permit.
"I’ve been to many state Capitols all over the country, and most of the ones I’ve been to have some sort of security, and they don’t allow you to carry guns into the Capitol," she said. "I think there’s a debate whether or not we should be able to do that in the state house."
Several lawmakers shared their thoughts after the arrest. Some said they and their staff are rattled. Others said they didn't want to talk pubically about security issues, while others said it was too early to know what should come next.
"We figured out it's about 70 to 72 different doors, plus all the lower level windows and first floor windows that you have access to," Wanggaard said. "All those are access points, too, so anytime you have so many entrances and exits, it's really hard to secure to a point."
"When you come to the Capitol, whether that’s because you’re on a school visit, or whether you are just there to look around at one of the most beautiful Capitols in all of the country, you should feel safe and people who work inside the Capitol should feel safe, too," said Andraca. "If we’re not going to get better gun laws, we need better security. Personally, I think we need both."
More on security
Capitol police do have cameras throughout the building, and offices are equipped with buttons that can be pushed to signal police in times of emergency.
In January 2022, someone in the office of state Sen. Joan Ballweg triggered the alarm, but no officer responded. That resulted in the state Senate ordering an outside audit of the Capitol Police by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department.
Capitol Police instituted numerous changes following that report, including improving the emergency alarm system, and lawmakers in August ordered another review by the Legislative Audit Bureau that is slated to be done by the end of next year.
There have been temporary upgrades in Capitol security.
Wisconsin Capitol, Madison
Metal detectors were installed at the Capitol in late February 2011 at the height of protests over then-Gov. Scott Walker's proposal that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. Protests lasted for weeks and grew as large as 100,000 people, with demonstrators spending weeks in the Capitol in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to block the proposal.
The metal detectors were removed in June 2011 under an agreement reached between Walker's administration and the state employees union, which sued to get the Capitol reopened without metal detectors.
The Legislature voted to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons in 2011, and allowed them in the Capitol. Leaders argued then that if they were banned in the Capitol, then metal detectors would have to be installed to catch people trying to illegally sneak them in.
State Capitol security concerns were raised again after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But at the time, the Wisconsin Capitol was closed to the general public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.