Naked intruder and lawmaker attacks spark Capitol security concerns

Concerns over a lack of security at the Minnesota State Capitol are taking on new urgency in light of last month’s targeted attacks of state lawmakers — and a troubling new breach of the Capitol building itself.

On Friday night, a man identified as 36-year-old Dominic Terrell Peace was found naked inside the Minnesota Senate chamber after hours, claiming to be the governor.

Peace was taken to Regions Hospital for a mental health evaluation but returned to Capitol grounds twice more within 24 hours before finally being arrested Saturday evening on an outstanding warrant from Wisconsin.

The Department of Public Safety said the State Patrol is conducting “a comprehensive review to determine how this happened and make any necessary updates to Capitol security protocols.”

House Speaker Lisa Demuth said she is grateful Peace is now in custody but questioned why it took multiple incidents.

“It’s frustrating that an individual with a criminal history was able to allegedly vandalize the Capitol and unlawfully trespass in the Senate chamber without being taken into custody,” she said. “Anyone who trespasses in any building — let alone the State Capitol — should be arrested and prosecuted for breaking the law. In this environment of heightened security, we need to be even more vigilant, not less.”

Who’s guarding the Capitol?

Amid growing scrutiny over Capitol security, questions are also being raised about who is actually protecting the building.

Earlier this month, Alpha News reported that a Capitol security officer was arrested for impersonating an undercover police officer at a Minneapolis bar, threatening patrons, and driving off drunk with a loaded firearm. The officer, Cristian Orea, is now facing multiple charges and has been placed on leave.

Capitol security officers are not sworn law enforcement and don’t carry firearms.

A retired officer told Alpha News that hiring standards for Capitol security officers have dropped significantly and warned, “With employees like this, who needs enemies?”

Minnesota Capitol among few without metal detectors or X-ray screening

The Minnesota State Capitol Building is one of just over a dozen state capitols that does not have metal detectors or X-ray screenings at its entrances, according to a 2021 analysis by the Council of State Governments.

That lack of security is now being scrutinized in the wake of last month’s shootings which killed Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, and left Sen. John Hoffman and his wife critically injured. The Hortmans and Hoffmans were shot in their respective homes.

“I think it is surprising to the general public that there isn’t security at the Capitol,” Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher previously told Alpha News. “We began installing security in county courthouses after the attack on 9/11. We were the first county in Minnesota to have security at our courthouse entrances. Nearly every county in Minnesota has followed suit.”

Legislators receive optional home security assistance

In response to the shootings, the Minnesota Senate is now offering optional financial assistance to members for home security systems.

“The Senate’s efforts to enhance security include some optional financial assistance to Senators for home security systems,” Secretary of the Senate Tom Bottern told Alpha News. He said the costs will be covered by the Senate’s existing operating budget.

Bottern said he could not speak to any similar efforts in the House, but reports indicate that members of both chambers will be provided with assistance.

Security recommendations fall to advisory group with limited authority

In Minnesota, the state legislature is responsible for ensuring the safety of the State Capitol and the people who serve there by setting security standards in law and appropriating money to meet those standards.

However, the legislature relies on the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security (ACCAS), a panel created in 2013, to assess risks and recommend security measures across the Minnesota Capitol complex’s 15 buildings.

The panel is chaired by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and includes four state lawmakers (two from each political party) and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson of Minnesota’s Supreme Court. Law enforcement officers and other state officials serve as advisors to the committee.

Fletcher has sent two letters to the committee calling for increased security at the Capitol complex — one in January and another earlier this month.

“The recent heartbreaking events highlight the urgent need to reexamine security measures within the Capitol Complex. Please know that the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office stands ready to assist in this effort. Our team brings over two decades of experience in courthouse security, including protocols such as metal detection and bag screening,” he wrote this month.

Fletcher — whose county includes the Minnesota Capitol — recommended “utilizing metal detectors, x-ray machines, and stationary security personnel” at Capitol complex buildings in his January letter.

In a statement released just days after the shootings, Flanagan spoke in her role as chair of the committee, saying she is “committed to ensuring the safety of public servants,” and the committee “will work alongside law enforcement to ensure that the Capitol continues to be a safe place for the important work that happens here.”

Despite the unprecedented violence that occurred on June 14, Flanagan waited until July 18 to announce that the ACCAS will hold its next meeting on Aug. 20, more than two months after Hortman and Hoffman were shot.

The Minnesota Legislature is not scheduled to meet again until Feb. 17, 2026.

“The ACCAS committee is an advisory body that makes recommendations but has no authority to make changes to Capitol Complex security,” Flanagan’s office told Alpha News when contacted for this story.

Committee recommended more security funding, deferred on metal detectors

Just five months before the shootings that killed the Hortmans, the ACCAS released its annual report to the legislature as required by state law. In that report, the ACCAS said current funding for security at the Capitol complex only represents 35% of the “total physical security funding need.”

“The absence of full funding for the security upgrades over the past 12 years leaves over half of the Capitol Complex population and building square footage without programmed physical security improvements,” warned the committee.

As such, the report urged lawmakers to approve nearly $40 million for upgrades such as emergency call stations, bollards, blast protection, surveillance systems, and crowd control devices. Facing a budget deficit and other fiscal constraints, the legislature approved only $2 million for Capitol security earlier this year.

At its January 2024 meeting, legislators discussed the committee’s 2024 report which contained many of the same conclusions and recommendations as this year’s report. One DFL lawmaker drew attention to the report’s failure to include weapon detection systems, and another wanted to develop a plan regarding weapons detection systems.

“One thing that I do feel is lacking and is something that I mentioned at the last meeting and that’s weapon detection systems — that’s not included in here. In light of the world we live in now, the fact that over 30 states have systems — red states, blue states — I feel like that’s sorely lacking,” stated Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview.

Sen. Bonnie Westlin, DFL-Plymouth, voiced similar sentiments.

“My hope would be that we would perhaps develop a new plan and new report for the future in particular, you know, focusing on weapon detection and preventing mass casualty incidents,” Westlin said.

Flanagan, who was chairing the remote meeting, said she anticipated that there would be a future discussion about that topic when the committee meets in person. No further meeting records are available on the committee’s official webpage. The ACCAS is required by law to meet every quarter.

 

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