Topeka ? Republicans are crying foul over a plan by the Kansas Highway Patrol to remove armed officers from the Memorial Building, which houses the offices of the attorney general and secretary of state.

“As the state’s top law enforcement officer and prosecutor, the attorney general and his staff often receive threatening letters, many times threatening their lives,” said state Rep. Jeff Goering, R-Wichita.

He said that last week a man was arrested in the lobby of the Memorial Building by the security detail.

Goering wrote a letter to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, asking her to have the Highway Patrol reconsider its plan.

“I ask you take into consideration the safety of those whose job it is to prosecute criminals, a job which protects every Kansas citizen,” Goering wrote.

Nicole Corcoran, a spokeswoman for Sebelius, said the planned changes would not affect safety.

“There is nothing being done to compromise safety,” Corcoran said.

Lt. John Eichkorn, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said the changes were based on an evaluation and reorganization of security measures at numerous state buildings in Topeka.

He said under the plan for the Memorial Building, two armed officers who are temporary employees would be replaced by one guard who would be unarmed.

Other Capitol officers will be in the area and available to respond to any kind of problem, Eichkorn said, adding that electronic monitoring also was part of the security system.

Asked if the change was made for budgetary reasons, he said, “Our agency, like other state agencies, is looking for the best way to provide the services that we are tasked to provide.”

Goering wasn’t satisfied with the proposal, noting that Sebelius had a higher level of protection than Atty. Gen. Phill Kline, “yet he has more contact with threatening individuals.”