Governor’s Mansion security breach raises questions about security protocol

State Police announce 34-year-old Reynard Green of Baton Rouge was able to get into the governor’s mansion last Wednesday and broke an antique table. Green was arrested on multiple charges after he was discovered sleeping on the couch.  The mansion is enclosed by a tall iron fence with only one entrance gate but security expert Joshua Nicholson says a tall fence is not always effective.

“Just because they have a physically tall barrier does not mean it can’t be breached. It doesn’t mean you can’t throw a piece of carpet over it and climb over it. You have seen this in other areas of the world including on the U.S. border.”

It is not clear whether Governor Edwards or his family was home at the time of the break-in.

Nicholson says the break-in will force state police to look at their protocols.

“How the state troopers are handling security, how do they handle check-ins from visitors, sweeps, and so forth are definitely an important aspect of it. The bigger aspect of this is going to be looking at the physical security that is in place in the mansion.”

Louisiana State Police troopers and Department of Public Safety officers are assigned to the Governor’s Mansion 24 hours a day, year-round. Nicholson says even with officers in place expanding security with things like motion detectors may be the next step.

“You just can’t say that state troopers should adjust their policies and not look at what are the physical controls and security devices that help enforce that.”