Audit finds Wisconsin Capitol Police emergency response times up, calls for better tracking

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Police who are responsible for security in the Wisconsin Capitol responded faster to emergency alarms in legislative offices than they did to other building alarms, according to an audit ordered amid concerns about response times that was released Tuesday.

The report from the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau comes after a state senator in 2022 said she triggered the emergency alarm and no one responded. It also comes after security was again in the spotlight when an armed man entered the Capitol in October looking for Gov. Tony Evers.

Security at the Capitol is provided by a separate police division that is under control of the state Department of Administration. In addition to the high-profile Capitol building, the Capitol Police are also charged with providing security at state properties across Wisconsin and protecting the governor, state lawmakers and members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

In January 2022, someone in the office of state Sen. Joan Ballweg said they triggered the alarm, but no officer responded. That resulted in the state Senate ordering an outside audit of the Capitol Police by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department.

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