Minnesota has a Capitol emergency alert system. Could it have warned lawmakers an assassin was at large?

Minnesota purchased a mass notification system several years ago to alert legislators about emergencies, but state leaders didn’t use it on the morning of June 14 when an assassin targeted politicians in the suburbs of Minneapolis.

The system, called Everbridge, is overseen by the State Patrol and can send alerts via phone, text message and email if there is an active shooter or other threat on the State Capitol complex.

Enrollment in the Everbridge emergency notification system was voluntary before the June shootings, and the State Patrol said the system hadn’t been used for incidents outside the complex.

But questions have arisen from state lawmakers and law enforcement officials over how information was communicated that morning and whether the mass notification system could have saved the lives of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park home.

“There is no excuse for not having or not using a functional mass notification system for our legislators on June 14, 2025,” Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said in a statement Monday, criticizing the State Patrol for not using a system that potentially could have alerted lawmakers about the threat in real time.

“The State Patrol Capitol Security Division has been working on this issue for eight years but failed to implement an effective alert program that could have notified Melissa Hortman and others of the active potential threat against them,” Fletcher added.

Everbridge was first rolled out and championed by Capt. Eric Roeske, head of the State Patrol’s Capitol Security Division, in 2017.

The State Patrol has repeatedly declined to make Roeske available for an interview over the past month.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Col. Christina Bogojevic, chief of the State Patrol, announced that Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger will oversee Capitol Security “more directly” in the future.

“This adjustment elevates Capitol Security within the State Patrol’s organizational structure, ensuring that swift and decisive actions can be taken when necessary,” she said.

Also announced Tuesday were changes to reduce the number of open Capitol building entrances and add a greater presence of Capitol Security officers at those doors.

Bogojevic said the Everbridge system is an “area-specific notification tool” that can alert lawmakers, staff and state employees about emergencies on the Capitol complex.

“Legislator notifications were handled through their caucuses and not through Everbridge on June 14 for the following reasons: Everbridge is currently a voluntary tool to receive Capitol complex area notifications and the shootings occurred off the Capitol complex,” Bogojevic said.

In an interview Tuesday, Fletcher said he believes law enforcement officials need to hold themselves accountable over who should have alerted lawmakers.

“They’re trying to stir everybody into a pot and say nobody is really responsible,” Fletcher said about the statement from the State Patrol. He added the idea that the legislative caucuses should be responsible for communication went against the notion of who provides public safety.

“We’re not notifying people about a picnic, we’re notifying them about a life-safety issue,” Fletcher said. “That’s where law enforcement has to step up.”

After the shootings of the Hortmans and Hoffmans, the Minnesota House DFL and GOP caucuses told their members they must enroll in the Everbridge rapid notification system. Many lawmakers weren’t signed up for the emergency notification system on the morning of June 14.

Bogojevic said the Department of Public Safety has recommended the House and Senate sergeants at arms and legislative leaders review their own communication structure.

“DPS will continue to provide suggestions as to how they can expand participation in the notification system and protocols,” she said.

At a news conference last week, Bogojevic said state officials are exploring whether they can expand the Everbridge system to reach legislators when they are away from the Capitol.