Panel Calls for Tighter Security at L.A. City Hall

Alarmed by the shooting of Riverside city officials last year, a Los Angeles City Council panel recommended Wednesday that metal detectors be installed at Los Angeles City Hall.

The devices would be placed at the entrance to City Hall and the City Council chambers as part of a security plan endorsed by the council’s Information Technology and General Services Committee.

“This is in response to what happened in Riverside,� said Tony DeClue, who oversees security for City Hall. “It will provide several levels of deterrent.�

On Oct. 6, a gunman walked into Riverside City Hall and wounded six people, including the mayor and two City Council members.

The city of Los Angeles armed the security officers at City Hall and increased foot patrols in the Civic Center area after the Riverside incident, DeClue told the council panel.

Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, the committee’s chairman, said stepped-up security is warranted.

“We need to make the environment more secure for the public and for city officials,� Ridley-Thomas said.

Metal detectors would be placed at the Main Street entrance to City Hall and at the front entrance to the council Chambers. Hand-held metal detectors would be used by guards at the rear entrance of the chambers, where city employees and the press enter.

The security measures would cost $208,000 to implement, DeClue said.

The plan depends on the closure of the first-floor entrances to City Hall so that all visitors enter on the second floor at Main Street.

DeClue said the metal detectors would probably be installed in March if the council approves the proposal.

LAPD Capt. John Trundle said metal detectors and other security measures make good sense.

“We believe the measures they recommended would greatly enhance the security of this building,� he said.