Cuts leave security spread thin on Washington state Capitol campus
In sheer size, Washington state’s Capitol campus is the nation’s largest.
It spans 468 acres, with the Capitol grounds covering 143 of those. Overall, the complex has 30 buildings, ranging from the domed Legislative Building, where state lawmakers and the governor transact the business of governing, to a licensed childcare center.
There are three gardens, more than a dozen monuments, five parks, plus the Tivoli Fountain. Around 400,000 people visit each year and, as of July, the state Department of Enterprise Services has permitted over 500 events on campus this year. The biggest, Capital Lakefair, attracted 15,000 attendees in July.
While there’s much to keep tabs on, security around the Capitol is increasingly stretched.
That’s because earlier this year, to help balance the budget, the Legislature and Gov. Bob Ferguson signed off on spending reductions that gutted funding for security staff, including a contract with Washington State Patrol.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/cuts-leave-security-spread-thin-on-washington-state-capitol-campus/