§ 171. Responsibility for security
(a) The Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall be responsible for ensuring
the security of all State facilities, regardless of funding source for construction
or renovation, the lands upon which those facilities are located, and the occupants
of those facilities and places, except that:
(1) in those State-owned or State-leased buildings that house a court plus one or more
other functions, security for the space occupied by the court shall be under the jurisdiction
of the Supreme Court and security elsewhere shall be under the jurisdiction of the
Commissioner of Buildings and General Services;
(2) in those buildings which function exclusively as courthouses, security shall be under
the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court;
(3) the space occupied by the Supreme Court shall be under the jurisdiction of the Supreme
Court; and
(4) in the State House, security shall be under the jurisdiction of the Sergeant at Arms.
(b) The Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall develop a security plan for
each facility, except for those under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and of
the Sergeant at Arms, and shall regularly update these plans as necessary and be responsible
for coordinating responses to all security needs. The Supreme Court and the Sergeant
at Arms shall, in cooperation with the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services,
prepare and update such plans for the facilities under their respective jurisdictions.
(c) The Commissioner of Buildings and General Services may delegate the responsibility
for security at specified facilities.
(d) All security improvements to State facilities shall be under the direction of the
Commissioner of Buildings and General Services, who shall set statewide standards
for policies, materials, and equipment, including voice and data reception and transmission
upgrades and installations.
(e) Under this section, the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services is responsible
for the protection of State facilities, the lands upon which the facilities are situated,
and the occupants of those facilities, which is vital to sustaining the essential
services of government in an emergency. The Commissioner shall develop plans for continuity
of government and continuity of operations as an addendum to the State emergency operations
plan maintained by the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management
and referenced in 20 V.S.A. § 8(b)(2).
(f) The Commissioner of Buildings and General Services, the Sergeant at Arms, and the
Court Administrator shall execute a memorandum of understanding to coordinate the
provision of security plans and law enforcement services within the Capitol Complex.
The memorandum of understanding shall incorporate any existing agreements related
to the provision of law enforcement services or security in the Capitol Complex. As
used in this section, “Capitol Complex” has the same meaning as used in section 182 of this title. (Added 1999, No. 29, § 44, eff. May 19, 1999; amended 2001, No. 149 (Adj. Sess.), § 29, eff. June 27, 2002; 2015, No. 88 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. May 6, 2016.)