Colo. Sen. loses security code for sharing

A Colorado state senator said his security code for after-hours access to the state Capitol was deactivated after he gave it to 11 students he was teaching.

State Sen. Shawn Mitchell said he was unaware that he was breaching security protocols when he gave his access code to his Colorado government and politics graduate students at the University of Colorado Denver, The Denver Post reported Wednesday.

Mitchell said he gave the code to students I know and trust when he brought the class to the Capitol May 6, the day after the legislative session ended.

The lawmaker said he received an e-mail a few days later saying that because of unauthorized access to the building my code had been deactivated and if I wanted another code I should ask for one.

He said the e-mail left him a little bummed.

Now I have to memorize a new password, he said.

Lance Clem, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said Mitchell may have been the first lawmaker to have his security code deactivated.

It’s never happened to a lawmaker in anyone’s memory, but it has happened to other statehouse employees, he said.