MILWAUKEE — Safety concerns at Milwaukee’s city hall and the Zeidler Municipal Building are being raised after a false alarm.
It comes after an incident Thursday where reports of shots fired were ultimately found to be untrue, but led workers and visitors to shelter in place or be escorted out.
Now, an alderman is calling for security enhancements at both buildings.
Theresa Stein has lived in Milwaukee for 40 years, but Friday was her first time inside city hall.
WATCH: Should City Hall and the Zeidler Building have metal detectors? Alderman and visitors share perspectives
"I just felt anxious you know, looking all around and seeing all the kids and everything that could happen and we just wanted to duck out,” Stein said.
She couldn’t believe there were no security checkpoints at any of the three public entrances.
"What went through my mind when I was in there was Summerfest — you have to go through a metal detector, and this is city hall and there's not a metal detector? I think that's kind of crazy,” she said.
Stein said she felt the need to leave for that reason. Alderman Lamont Westmoreland is among hundreds who have no choice but to come there to work.
"You talk about the ‘people's house’, we need to protect every single person that steps foot in there,” he said. Right now, these doors are open and you can come in and do what you want."
Alderman Westmoreland said his worst fear would be a repeat of what happened three decades ago when a gunman entered the Zeidler Building and killed an employee who was the shooter’s ex-girlfriend.
"We need to make sure that nothing is going to happen,” he said.
Alderman Westmoreland wants both the Zeidler Building and city hall to have safety precautions that go beyond ‘no firearm’ signs on the doors and armed officers inside.
He believes security features, specifically the metal detectors found inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse and the federal courthouse downtown should be at both city building entrances.
Rick Wiegane said he would prefer to not have to deal with the hassle.
“Would you like to go through metal detectors to go inside city hall?” reporter Ben Jordan asked.
"No. Not necessarily,” Wiegane said. "It would probably take a lot longer to get in, sort of like getting into the courthouse, but if it's safer for the people that's in there then maybe it's necessary.”
The mayor’s office said everything is now under consideration when it comes to making sure people feel safe inside both buildings.
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