Posted on: Tuesday, December 30, 2003

EDITORIAL
The State Capitol is the people's house

From New York to Hawai'i, authorities this holiday season have beefed up security at bridges, tunnels, ports, landmarks, sports arenas, nuclear and chemical facilities, and other possible targets of attack.

While we understand that government buildings are among those possible targets, we're loath to see the public right of entry sacrificed to security measures that are more symbolic than practical.

A case in point is the Hawai'i State Capitol, which was designed in the 1960s to be accessible and welcoming to the public.

Under the Lingle administration's $5 million security plan for the State Capitol, that may be about to change.

The security plan proposes to block the public from parking in up to 75 metered stalls in the Capitol basement, the only on-site parking available to the public.

In addition, a security checkpoint would be installed at the Miller Lane entry to the basement. Metal detectors would also be set up at the building's entrances.

It's easy to complain about security measures when they are an inconvenience and then complain that they weren't stiff enough when an incident happens. But there are specific symbolic and practical issues involved in restricting access to what is, by nature, supposed to be a public structure.

Increasingly, public parking at federal and state buildings is an endangered species while civil servants, from gardeners and janitors to legislative aides, can drive right in.

Rather than completely banning basement parking in the Capitol, why not have the security guard at the entrance check the trunk for explosives and other suspicious items, as is done at Honolulu Airport?

And for drivers who don't want to go through the extra delay and hassle, the state must make accessible and affordable public parking available nearby, at ground level.

Granted, the issue of security vs. right of entry is a delicate one.

Sacramento, Calif., grappled with how to balance security and access in public places after a suicidal truck driver rammed its state Capitol with his big-rig in 2001.

The response was to install metal detectors, which would not have stopped another vehicle from smashing into the building. But it nonetheless made lawmakers and staffers feel safer.

The fact is, if someone is hellbent on destruction, there's only so much protection that security can provide.

Meanwhile, turning state Capitols into fortresses goes against their very purpose, which is to include the public into the process of making law.

So let's think this one through.