The Hill News

While I am new as a Member of Congress, I am not at all new to the threats facing them.  I’ve spent the last 38 years of my career in local law enforcement â€" during the last ten of which, I was Sheriff of Hernando County, home of our congressional district office.
 
I want to echo strongly what Bill Livingood, the Sergeant-At-Arms and the Capitol Police officers have been telling Members over the last few days.  The most important step district offices can take to improve their security is to maintain a strong and proactive relationship with local law enforcement.  Make sure that the district office and Member’s home addresses are on file.  Also invite the department out to perform a security analysis of the district office itself.
 
My department performed such an analysis for the FL-05 district office during my predecessor’s time in Congress.  We recommended keeping certain doors locked during business hours.  We also emphasized the n! eed for a silent panic alarm and other measures.  These simple steps can dramatically improve the ability and effectiveness of the response from local law enforcement.

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