Maryland State House complex to add emergency text alert system following threat incident

BALTIMORE -- An anonymous phone threat targeted the Maryland State House on Thursday evening, prompting a lockdown and shelter-in-place, according to officials.

Police said an unidentified male called and said he was armed and was going to the State House to "shoot everyone" he saw.  

Now, the state has settled a contract with Motorola to implement a text alert system that would warn an individual to seek safety in the event of an emergency, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson said in an announcement Friday.   

People inside the State House, including members of the press, said when the lockdown started they didn't receive any text or email alerts to let them know what was going on.

Ferguson said he's proud of the response to the threat but there were lessons learned, mainly that having clear lines of communication is key.

The text system would allow for geofencing and a text alert system that would warn anyone on campus to seek safety in the event of an emergency.

"Do I wish we had it yesterday? Of course," Ferguson said. "And we learned an important lesson, that we have places where we think we can improve. I feel very confident that the procedures are in place and the speaker and I have been harping on this for a while, that clear lines of communication are key."

Ferguson said he and his legislative partner, Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones, were already discussing campus safety given the ongoing construction at the State House.

Ferguson also noted the incredible turnout of first responders in Thursday's incident. 

"I am very, very thankful to the law enforcement that responded to the threat that was made.  Everyone was safe, despite it being a bit of a scary situation," Ferguson said.