D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said Tuesday she is asking President Obama to appoint a special panel to look at security on military bases, a day after the deadly rampage that killed more than a dozen at Washington’s Navy Yard.
“I think the president needs to appoint a specialized panel that would have security and military experts and experts on these facilities in large cities,” the Democrat said Tuesday on “CNN Newsroom.” “We don’t want them walled off, we want them as part of the community,” but the people who work inside need to be safe, she said.
Ms. Norton is not the only D.C. city official to call for security reform in the wake of Monday’s shooting.
Democratic Councilman Vincent Orange said security in all government buildings needed to be looked at after the shooting at the base, where security guards checked ID, but did not perform vehicle or bag checks.
“I think everything is under review,” Mr. Orange said on “CNN Newsroom” Tuesday morning.
He talked specifically about security in D.C. City Hall, where he said people can just flash their badge and walk in.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, who called the Navy Yard is “one of the most secure facilities in the nation,” wondered how the shooter Aaron Alexis’ past, which includes arrests for assault and incidents with firearms, didn’t prevent him from getting access to the base.
“It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as checkered as this man could get credentials to be able to get on the base,” Mr. Gray said on CNN’s “New Day” on Tuesday morning.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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