megimoo
01-12-2011, 04:18 PM
House members will return to the Capitol on Wednesday for the first time since the Tucson, Ariz., shooting rampage that nearly killed colleague Gabrielle Giffords, and they are demanding improved protection ranging from office security cameras to the installation of a (Bullet Proof ) plexiglass barrier over the House floor.
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Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. on Tuesday called for an increase in House budget to allow for augmented security for members. snip
Jackson wants that money restored, plus 10 percent, in order to augment security in the Capitol and in districts, where he said some lawmakers may need to hire security for constituent events and install surveillance cameras in their district offices.
"After the events of last weekend, it is clear that our district staffs are vulnerable," Jackson said in an e-mail. snip
Lawmakers are also nervous about security inside the Capitol complex, despite the hundreds of armed police officers who already guard it each day and the extensive screening required for those entering Capitol Hill buildings
Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., renewed his call for the installation of an impenetrable,(Bullet Proof) see-through security shield around the viewing gallery overlooking the House floor. Burton points out that, while guns and some bombs would be picked up by metal detectors, a saboteur could get into the Capitol concealing plastic explosives.
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It's not likely the House will pay for U.S. Capitol Police to shadow all 435 members of Congress, Wood said, but instead would do more to coordinate with a member's state and local law enforcement to provide help in the event of a threat.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/congress/2011/01/house-members-want-added-security-after-giffords-shooting
snip
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. on Tuesday called for an increase in House budget to allow for augmented security for members. snip
Jackson wants that money restored, plus 10 percent, in order to augment security in the Capitol and in districts, where he said some lawmakers may need to hire security for constituent events and install surveillance cameras in their district offices.
"After the events of last weekend, it is clear that our district staffs are vulnerable," Jackson said in an e-mail. snip
Lawmakers are also nervous about security inside the Capitol complex, despite the hundreds of armed police officers who already guard it each day and the extensive screening required for those entering Capitol Hill buildings
Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., renewed his call for the installation of an impenetrable,(Bullet Proof) see-through security shield around the viewing gallery overlooking the House floor. Burton points out that, while guns and some bombs would be picked up by metal detectors, a saboteur could get into the Capitol concealing plastic explosives.
snip
It's not likely the House will pay for U.S. Capitol Police to shadow all 435 members of Congress, Wood said, but instead would do more to coordinate with a member's state and local law enforcement to provide help in the event of a threat.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/congress/2011/01/house-members-want-added-security-after-giffords-shooting