State administration, Capitol Police outline mail scanning, camera upgrades and bollards as security measures

Sameer Arif (Chief of Staff, Department of Administration) and Captain Brandon Bixler (Commander, Capitol Police) briefed the committee on recent and planned security upgrades to the Kansas Statehouse complex.

Arif said the state has centralized mail processing and instituted a scanning process: “All mail that comes into the capitol now goes to our mail processing facility out by division of printing... everything goes to a scanning process before it gets here.” He described upgrades to camera surveillance, central monitoring/dispatch, and a program to reissue identification badges across the complex before year-end. Arif also reviewed infrastructure projects: improved Wi-Fi coverage in the State House parking garage, radio-frequency vehicle sticker readers for access, and new exterior security measures including fixed and pop-up hydraulic bollards.

Captain Bixler explained Capitol Police protocol: local jurisdictions should be the immediate responder for a suspicious package or potential threat, but the Capitol Police can assist and will gather intel. He described a new protective intelligence unit and an in-state mail screening capability that can test suspicious items and coordinate with federal partners when necessary. On weapon-detection technologies, Bixler said the department is evaluating camera overlays and other vendor systems but that some current tools are still immature and can add processing delays during screening.

Ending: Officials asked legislators to report suspicious mail or threats to Capitol Police. They said the protective intelligence unit will compile incidents to identify trends and coordinate responses with local, state and federal agencies.