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John Joiner didn't even know the man was hiding in his office. A Sept. 17 security breach at the Cook County Administration Building, 69 W. Washington, has county commissioners concerned about security there and in other county buildings, especially since the intruder escaped from the grasp of four security guards. The incident came three days before an armed intruder shot and killed a security guard at the state Capitol in Springfield. Because the suspect here escaped, no one knows if he was armed. Guards noticed him prowling floors around 4:50 p.m. that day. Aargus Security guards, hired by the building's private manager, found him hiding in Joiner's 30th-floor office. The county's director of facilities management "thought he was in there alone," County Board President John Stroger said, "but he was frightened to find out the man was in his office." The intruder was able to elude capture briefly by running through the building's stairwell doors, which have been unlocked since an October fire killed six. Though security guards caught him and led him down to the first floor, he fled out the front doors. Stroger blasted the actions of guards, saying "it's just not common sense" not to call Chicago Police, adding he has told Aargus supervisors "we're not hiring them just to be decorations." Aargus officials did not return calls seeking comment. Commissioner Carl Hansen said the nearby County Building is even less secure than 69 W. Washington, adding that "there is nothing to stop having the situation just described happen here tomorrow." In 2001, Sheriff Michael Sheahan gave commissioners a plan to improve safety at the County Building, which is attached to City Hall. Though that plan was updated in 2003, recommendations such as adding security cameras, metal detectors and securing entrances haven't been implemented. Sheahan's report points to problems securing each of that building's entry points, including underground pedways, and the lack of a noticeable, uniformed police presence in or around the building. But his plan would also call for adding almost $500,000 in new equipment, in addition to putting up to 57 sheriff's officers on duty at the County Building, which would drive the cost to implement the plan beyond $3 million.