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City Council approves interim security package, orders metal detectors moved to main entrance
Summary
The Los Angeles City Council approved an interim security package for City Hall and voted to move metal detectors from City Hall East to the main entrance, after members pressed for faster implementation amid concerns about building security.
The Los Angeles City Council voted to approve an interim security package for City Hall and ordered that metal detectors now at City Hall East be moved to the main entrance.
Councilmember Hahn pressed the council for faster, visible security measures, saying, “I too just want to express my real concern ... anybody can walk in, anybody can get a visitor's badge, briefcases, hearses, nothing is checked.” The council debated whether to pursue immediate physical screening and whether to seek additional, longer-term measures in committee or closed session.
The council amended the security motion to specify that the metal detectors currently at City Hall East be moved to the main entrance. Councilmember Hahn presented that amendment; the roll call vote on the amendment recorded 11 ayes and it passed. Councilmember Ridley Thomas requested that a report added to the item be referred to the Public Safety Committee; the referral was made as a friendly amendment and accepted.
City staff said some of the measures in the approved package were intended as an immediate step that improves current security levels while longer-term work proceeds. A General Services Department representative told the council the department expects to have fabricated and installed new, permanent metal-detection equipment in “30 to 45 days,” and earlier that staff would “expedite the process and try to have the contact there within a couple weeks” where feasible.
Councilmembers repeatedly urged faster action than staff’s initially stated timeline. Councilmember Ridley Thomas asked staff to “move through every single aspect of red tape” and to be prepared to report back to committee early next week. Several members suggested using existing equipment — including magnetic wands and the metal detectors in City Hall East — and limiting access points temporarily so visitors use a single screened entrance.
After amendments, the council approved the security package as amended by roll call (11 ayes). The council directed General Services and other departments to coordinate implementation, and asked for a committee report on further steps for the child-care facility in the civic center and for broader civic center security needs.
Background: Councilmembers referenced the Brown Act and government-code provisions governing public-security briefings and said parts of the follow-up work could occur in closed session if needed. Councilmember Perry and others recommended committee-level and task-force follow-ups to develop both short- and long-term security steps.
What’s next: The council approved the package and amendments and directed staff to report back and to work with the Public Safety Committee on a schedule for broader measures. Staff said some screening steps would be implemented immediately using existing detectors and wands while permanent fabrication and installation of equipment proceeds.
