AUGUSTA – New security policies at the Cross State Office Building were easier to implement after Sept. 11, thanks to the Legislature’s renovation of the Capitol complex in 2001.

Until then, Don Suitter, chief of Capitol Security, had to rely heavily on phoned information and individual reports from patrol officers. As part of the renovations to the state office building and State House, Suitter said, doors to different levels of both buildings can be locked remotely with the push of a button. Hallways and some meeting areas are more closely monitored thanks to an array of remote television cameras.

“Most of these changes were already being built into the system prior to September 11,” Suitter said. “The changes for security at the State House were not in response to September 11, but they happened to be coming on line at about the same time.”

Security at the State House had been a longtime concern for the late Joseph Mayo, former clerk of the House. Easy access to parking directly beneath the governor’s window posed particular risks that led to a reorganization of public parking at the Capitol complex. The policy of leaving many of the State House entrances open early in the morning and late in the evening also made some legislative employees uneasy. It was that kind of unmonitored access, Suitter said, that made it easier for a bust of Gov. Percival Baxter to be vandalized several years ago.

“That was because we were opening real early,” he said. “Now we can control what time the building opens and what time it closes.”

Since Sept. 11, Suitter said, he has spent more time updating his staff on precautions State House employees should take when completing routine tasks.

“Because of the anthrax threat, we now have policies in place for handling the mail,” Suitter said. “We’ve also upgraded security in many buildings with respect to access, particularly at the Department of Human Services building and the Public Utilities Commission.”

Efforts are under way to encourage everyone to wear special state identification tags. Suitter said the culture of the State House and state office building work areas recognizes that a certain level of familiarity among about 1,000 employees already exists.

“There’s already the problem of so many different branches of government working in both buildings,” he said. “It becomes difficult to force people to wear identification tags. Still, in some of the bigger agencies, people call us if they see someone without a tag on their floor. So I guess some strides are being made.”

Suitter’s staff of seven uniformed security officers has remained frozen at its current size and prospects for expansion seem dim. Much of the new security technology was sought, in part, to lower personnel costs for the department. While Suitter appreciates the advances made in security technology, he acknowledges that it doesn’t provide the same level of flexibility offered by additional staffing.

“We believe we can do more with more people,” he said, “but we’re realists, we understand what budget crunches are and what the taxpayers are going through. We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”