Utah State Capitol not evacuated, UHP official says
Earlier reports of the Utah State Capitol being evacuated are not true, Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Nick Street told KSL.com.
People working at the Capitol in Salt Lake City were offered an “early work release” opportunity to leave the building and work from home instead, according to Street.
There was no evacuation conducted and no evacuation ordered as of Wednesday afternoon, he said. Protests on the Capitol grounds had been peaceful throughout the day, Street added.
Just confirmed via @LtStreetPIO that there was NO evacuation at the Utah State Capitol today. The protests there have been totally peaceful to this point. There was an “early work release” offered for ppl at the Capitol (basically opportunity to leave bldg and go work from home).
— Jacob Klopfenstein (@JFKlopfenstein) January 6, 2021
Utah Department of Public Safety officials were aware of the protests planned at the Capitol Wednesday and had been monitoring social media in anticipation, Street said. The department made sure to have the correct personnel at the Capitol to protect its security, he said.
“People can rest assured this was on our radar,” Street said.
Staff members of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s office were directed to work from home Wednesday, according to Jennifer Napier-Pearce, Cox’s director of communications.
— Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com
