Private security gets no penalty after letting gun into state building

ATLANTA -
The Georgia Capitol Police blamed "miscommunication" for not finding out for months about a man who managed to bring a gun past private security in a key government building.

It turned out that man had already been arrested multiple times in metro Atlanta for impersonating a police officer.

The incident happened last year at the Sloppy Floyd Building across the street from the Capitol. Also known as the Twin Towers, it houses important state offices, like Pardons and Paroles, the Insurance Commission and the Secretary of State.

You're allowed to bring a gun into the main lobby, just not past two security checkpoints leading to those sensitive government agencies. A private company, Dynamic Security, was hired by the Department of Public Safety to operate those checkpoints. The company also won the bid to provide security at many other state offices across Georgia.

Despite the rules against guns in sensitive areas, the FOX 5 I-Team obtained a surveillance picture showed a man wearing a law enforcement style vest and Glock .45. He was standing in line at the Secretary of State's office after being allowed to go past the Dynamic security guards with a gun.

"You have a guy who comes in and he's dressed the part," remarked House chairman of Public Safety Alan Powell. "He's got the equipment. And he basically talked his way through."

Representative Powell didn't even know about the security breach until the FOX 5 I-Team told him. But long before it happened, local law enforcement was well aware of the man with the gun. He called himself Sir Maejor Page, leader of Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, a group that broke off from the original Black Lives Matter organization here in Georgia.

He would patrol the streets of downtown Atlanta wearing that vest and another law enforcement equipment, telling bystanders he was there to protect them from police abuse.

"I come over and I watch what's going on and I hold these cops accountable," Page said on his body camera recording, one of many moments the FOX 5 I-Team found in Page's criminal case file.

But in the last year, authorities would arrest Page multiple times for impersonating a police officer. The fourth time came after he walked into the Sloppy Floyd Building with a gun. According to a report from that private company Dynamic Security, Page refused to show ID to their staff, claiming "he was with the FBI and they were hindering an investigation." Somehow a Dynamic Security supervisor let him through.

Dynamic also allowed him to later leave the building without questioning him any further. In fact, Capitol Police said they were not made aware of the security breach until January of this year, four months after it happened.

Within days, Capitol police obtained warrants against Page, arresting him at a public demonstration in DeKalb County. This summer, Page pled guilty to misdemeanor obstruction and was placed on two years probation with no guns. The police impersonation charges were dropped.

Page and his attorney declined comment to the FOX 5 I-Team about the security breakdown.

"That's ridiculous that it ever happened," said gun rights activist Jerry Henry. "I just can't believe it myself."

Henry heads up GeorgiaCarry.org, a group that has lobbied unsuccessfully to be able to take guns into all parts of government buildings as another layer of protection. But if you're going to restrict weapons, he said make sure the security checkpoints are run by competent people.

"That is no security," he complained while looking at the Dynamic security checkpoint. "That's pretend security."

But Representative Powell wasn't worried about the safety of the people who work in or visit the Sloppy Floyd building.

"If I had a guess, I'd say they might be more secure now than they ever were," he predicted.

Dynamic Security did not return repeated calls for comment. The Department of Public Safety said it has received no other formal complaints about the company's performance.

But critics like Henry were unconvinced.

"And they're still working there?" he asked incredulously. "That's a crime in itself as far as I'm concerned. They should have been booted out the day they found out about it."

Those private security guards don't make much money. According to state records, for each guard provided by Dynamic Security the company charges taxpayers $13.45 an hour. In other government offices around the state, it can be as low as $10.55 per hour. It's unclear how much of that money is actually paid to the guards themselves.