After siege, lawmakers ask why police so outnumbered
WASHINGTON » The police were badly outnumbered.
Only a few dozen guarded the West front of the Capitol when they were rushed by thousands of rioters bent on breaking into the building. Armed with metal pipes, pepper spray and other weapons, the mob pushed past the thin police line. One rioter hurled a fire extinguisher at an officer, according to video widely circulated on YouTube.
“They’re getting into the Capitol tonight! They’re getting in,” the man filming shouts in delight.
They breached the line moments later, and rioters soon broke into the building, taking over the House and Senate chambers and running wild in Statuary Hall and other hallowed symbols of democracy. The mob ransacked the place, smashing windows and waving Trump, American and Confederate flags. The lawmakers who were voting to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory were forced into hiding for hours.
Throughout the melee, police officers were in
jured, mocked, ridiculed and threatened. One Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries suffered during the riot. Four other people also died because of the Capitol violence. The melee was instigated by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump who have professed their love of law enforcement and derided the mass police reform pro
tests that shook the nation last year following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“We backed you guys in the summer,” one person screamed at three officers backed against a door by dozens of men screaming for them to get out of their way. “When the whole country hated you, we had your back!”
The rampage shocked the
world and left the country on edge, forcing the resignations of three top Capitol security officials over the failure to stop the breach. Lawmakers have demanded a review of operations and an FBI briefing over what they called a “terrorist attack.”
Despite plenty of warnings of a possible insurrection and ample resources and time to prepare, police planned only for a free speech demonstration — a decision that has come under increasing scrutiny since the riot.
Rank- and- file officers “were put in a incredibly dangerous situation. And that’s really where my frustration comes in, said Rep. Tim Ryan, D- Ohio, who leads a subcommittee that oversees the Capitol Police budget.
Police Chief Steven Sund, who along with other top security officials was ousted after the riot, is responsible for protecting lawmakers, “but also making sure that the rank-and-file members are put in situations where they’re as safe as possible and they have the support they need. And that clearly isn’t the case,” Ryan said.
One disturbing video shows a bloodied police officer screaming for help as he’s crushed by rioters inside the Capitol building. The young officer is pinned between a riot shield and metal door. Bleeding from the mouth, he cries out in pain and screams, “Help!”
Other images show police completely overwhelmed by rioters who shoved, kicked and punched their way into the building. In one stunning video, a lone police officer tries to hold off a mob of demonstrators from cracking into the lobby. He fails.
The riot focused renewed attention on Capitol Police, a force of more than 2,300 officers and civilian employees that protects the Capitol, lawmakers, staff and visitors. The agency has an annual budget of about $515 million.
Three days before the riot, the Pentagon offered National Guard manpower. And as the mob descended on the building Wednesday, Justice Department leaders reached out to offer up FBI agents. Capitol Police turned down both offers, according to senior defense officials and two people familiar with the matter.
Like many other agencies, the Capitol Police have been hit hard by COVID-19, with frequent schedule changes for officers and many forced to work overtime to fill out rosters. The pandemic has put the police under strain going into the new session of Congress and the Jan. 20 inauguration.
Sund defended his department’s response, saying officers “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions.”