Dallas City Hall Invests in a $300,000 Security Makeover: Check the Video

Many people in the Dallas area have expressed concern about a massive construction project inside city hall. Designed to improve security at the landmark, the price tag tops $300,000. Dallas City Hall is open to the public. While there is a guard, he does not stop people coming in unless there are clear signs of trouble. And city council offices have security, and the entrance to the council meeting room requires passage through metal detectors. But now the security is being augmented as construction crews add bulletproof doors and design secure escape routes. The mayor pro tem sees it as a sign of our tough times. “You never know what’s on a person’s mind during the course of economic downturns and layoffs and things of that nature,” he said. The changes were inspired by a 2008 tragedy in Kirkwood, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb. A frequent council critic killed one police officer outside city hall, and four more people — including a second officer — inside. Two months later, Dallas did its own security analysis and came up with the plan now being implemented. Check out the video at: http://www.wfaa.com/news/politics/Security-gets-300000-makeover-at-Dallas-City-Hall-98479094.html