BackAhead of riot, Capitol Police knew of potential for violence, official says
Acting police chief says department’s board turned down a request for National Guard support two days before the attack
PremiumThe U.S. Capitol Police knew before the Jan. 6 rally by supporters of former President Donald Trump that the event could turn violent, but the department didn’t sufficiently prepare, the acting police chief said Tuesday.
In a closed-door Congressional hearing, acting Police Chief Yogananda D. Pittman said that by Jan. 4 the Capitol Police saw that the rally carried “strong potential for violence," with extremists likely to attend.
“We knew that militia groups and white supremacists organizations would be attending," Ms. Pittman told the House Committee on Appropriations, according to a copy of her testimony. “We also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event. We knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target."
Also Read | How India has become an unequal republic
Ms. Pittman said on Jan. 4 her predecessor, Steven Sund, requested the Capitol Police Board, which oversees the department, declare a state of emergency and authorize a request for the National Guard to support the department’s officers.
The board denied the request, she said, and instead told Mr. Sund to contact the D.C. National Guard, which she said he did. Mr. Sund also coordinated with acting Police Chief Robert Contee at the Metropolitan Police Department, she said.
Mr. Sund resigned in the aftermath of the deadly riot as did two other members of the board—the sergeants-at-arms of the House and Senate. Mr. Sund couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Ms. Pittman’s testimony. The department’s representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on behalf of the board.
J. Brett Blanton, the architect of the Capitol and a board member, disputed some of Ms. Pittmann’s testimony, saying in a statement that his office was not aware of any Capitol Police “requests (verbal or written) being submitted to the board requesting additional support prior to January 6, 2021."
Ms. Pittman’s testimony sheds additional light on why the Capitol Police seemed ill-prepared when the thousands of Trump supporters left the Jan. 6 rally and descended on the Capitol.
Following the hearing, the House committee chairwoman, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D., Conn.), chided law-enforcement agencies for failing to act on intelligence ahead of the Jan. 6 riot and for “troubling lapses in coordination," slowing their response.
“It is now obvious that intelligence agencies had ample evidence an angry mob would descend on Washington, with Congress’ meeting to certify the presidential election as the intended target," Ms. DeLauro said in a statement. “The law-enforcement agencies tasked with protecting the Capitol did not act on this intelligence or adequately prepare for the looming threat."
Ms. Pittman offered the House committee her “sincerest apologies" on the security failures.
Capitol Police are responsible for the security of the Capitol, members of Congress and related facilities and grounds. The department had more than 1,200 officers on site during the attack, “no match for the tens of thousands of insurrectionists (many armed)," Ms. Pittman said.
The officers were equipped with pepper spray and batons and were backed up by “platoons deploying pepper balls and other chemical munitions," she said. More chemical munitions should have been staged ahead of time for easy access, she said. Instead, additional personnel had to bring officers more munitions.
The day of the attack, Mr. Sund requested the board allow in National Guard reinforcements, an authorization that took over an hour, she said.
Ms. Pittman’s account accords with that given by some of the other agencies involved in security that day. The Defense Department, which approves the deployment of the National Guard in the capital, has previously said that it conferred with the Capitol Police on Jan. 3 and 4 about Guard support and was told it wasn’t needed.
Following the attack, Ms. Pittman said, many of the departments’ officers are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, in part due to the deaths of two officers. One officer died after he was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher during the attack and another died by suicide in the days after. Four protesters died, including one shot by Capitol Police.
The House’s acting sergeant at arms, Timothy P. Blodgett, told the committee that the department’s communications need improvement. “Our current communications structure is too rigid to appropriately adapt to the multiple varying crises that unfolded that day—multiple bombs, a breach of the Capitol and a riot. The different crises strained the ability to communicate fast, accurate and pertinent information," he said.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
