General Assembly contracted for text alert system days before lockdown

ANNAPOLIS — The General Assembly on Monday entered a contract with a technology company to send text alerts to people on the State House grounds during emergencies, a scenario that played out Thursday when the historic building and surrounding facilities went under lockdown after an unnamed caller threatened to shoot people there.

Senate President Bill Ferguson said Friday that he hopes the new system  from Motorola Solutions will be in place before the end of the 90-day session in April. It’s expected to be tested this weekend and have an “expedited” rollout.

“That contract was signed on Monday and is in the process of being built out. Do I wish we had it yesterday? Of course,” Ferguson said during a press conference.

The complex doesn’t currently have a text alert system. Maryland Capitol Police officers, legislators and their staff members notified people of the lockdown and told those in the State House to shelter in place after Thursday’s threat. Ferguson on Friday stressed the importance of communication during emergencies and said a real-alert system would solve nearly all communication challenges at the State House complex.

When the system is in place, people may sign up by providing their contact information, or a geofence could automatically send alerts to the phone numbers of people in a certain area at a given time.

The Senate president said he and House Speaker Adrienne Jones, a fellow Democrat, have discussed safety and emergency communication around the State House “for quite a while,” especially considering ongoing construction and restoration to the historic building and the surrounding campus.

Ferguson said there’s been a recent increase in the frequency of threats made to the State House campus and to individual lawmakers, which he said is a consequence of inflamed political rhetoric and political extremes motivating those who may be mentally unstable to become violent.

“I hate the fact that, in a workplace that I have any type of leadership over, there is even the possibility of something like this that can cause any trauma or pain,” Ferguson said. “It is a sad reality that it is possible, however we are so blessed to have incredible law enforcement who are prepared and ready for every situation. And that’s what happened yesterday.”

The Annapolis Police Department on Friday was investigating the source of the anonymous call it received Thursday evening from someone with a male voice threatening to go to the State House and “shoot anybody they saw,” spokesman Bernie Bennett said in a phone interview.

Maryland Capitol Police put the State House and surrounding complex, including the governor’s mansion and House and Senate office buildings, under lockdown shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday. The Department of General Services said the lockdown took effect within minutes of Annapolis police notifying state and local law enforcement agencies.

After law enforcement officers conducted sweeps of the buildings and surrounding grounds, the lockdown and shelter-in-place orders were lifted shortly before 7 p.m.

“There was never a moment yesterday where I felt unsafe. It was a surreal experience, but I was very confident that the plans were in place,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson, Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller were all still in the State House when it went under lockdown, and a handful of legislative committees were still meeting in their office buildings down the street. At least two committees continued their work, and their respective chairs instructed attendees to remain in their committee rooms while the lockdown was in effect, according to multiple news reports.

Moore had planned to meet at his residence, Government House, which is adjacent to the State House, with municipal mayors visiting Annapolis for the day around the time of the lockdown.

Law enforcement officers instructed people inside the State House to shelter while they searched the building and grounds, including with police dogs. Police cars were lined up outside the building, blocking roads that lead to a road that encircles the State House.