On Monday, House lawmakers will be briefed on a new security review that recommends widespread changes to the U.S. Capitol after the Insurrection of January 6. The final report calls for the hiring of more than 1,000 Capitol Police officers, a dedicated rapid reaction force and the installation of retractable fences around the complex, according to a draft obtained by CBS News.
The study was led by former Hurricane Commander Katrina and retired Lieutenant General Russel Honore and a working group made up of other former senior military officials.
The 15-page document seeks to streamline the subsequent chain of command significant delays in the deployment of the National Guard during the riot.
Proposes to give U.S. Capitol Police authority the request for National Guard and law enforcement support outside the country without prior approval from the Capitol Police Board in “emergency circumstances extraordinary “.
The council, which oversees the department, is made up of sergeants of arms from the House and Senate, the Capitol architect and the Capitol police chief. Former Capitol police chief Steven Sund told lawmakers in a Senate hearing last month that he requested the National Guard two days before the riot but his request was denied by the Sergeant-at-Arms. Capitol architect Brett Blanton testified in an independent hearing that he was never contacted about the request.
Another recommendation calls for amendments to Department of Defense directives to allow the head of the DC National Guard to maintain emergency authority to quell large-scale civil unrest. Commander-in-Chief William Walker told a joint Senate group last week that he had guards sitting on buses as he waited for permission from the Pentagon to deploy them to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“Right now, seconds mattered, minutes mattered and you had to be prepared to get them as fast as possible,” Walker said.
The report also cites internal communication problems between ranks and Capitol Police files that were on the ground during the attack.
“Without headphones, many officers could also not hear or understand the radio communications due to the overwhelming noise of the crowd,” the report states. “All officers must be equipped with headphones as part of their uniform and must be directed to wear them. This should not be optional.”
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The task force recommends officers carry body cameras and suggests increasing the K9 division and restoring the horse-mounted police unit.
The group also proposes improved security for members of Congress when they travel to their home districts.
Asked by CBS News if she supports the findings, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged that additional funds will be needed.
“We will present ourselves to the fullest body and at some point make decisions about what is doable,” he said. “More money will be needed to protect the Capitol in a way that allows people to come here.”
Pelosi commissioned the Honore review, which focuses primarily on security next to the Capitol home. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other House Republicans have criticized the selection of the retired general to lead the investigation, citing his past statements suggesting Capitol police officers were complicit in the insurgency. .
“While there may be some worthy recommendations, General Honore’s notorious partisan bias calls into question the rationality of appointing him to lead this important security review,” McCarthy said in a statement.
Honore and other members of the Jan. 6 working group will brief members of both parties in three separate sessions Monday.