Yogananda Pittman, the new acting chief of the US Capitol Police, is speaking publicly about the deadly January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
A month after the January 6 rebellion at the United States Capitol, the new acting chief of the United States Capitol Police is speaking publicly about the deadly incident.
Police chief Yogananda Pittman’s 7-minute statement was posted on YouTube on Friday.
Neither she nor any other leader in charge of security before or after the riot answered public questions about what has happened since.
The first half of his statement was an expression of gratitude to the police on the front lines, their families, as well as those who offered support in the days and weeks since January 6.
Pittman acknowledged that the healing process is just beginning after what she called an “insurrection”.
“Capitol police officers who were on the front lines performed very well in the face of extraordinary violence and destruction,” she said.
“They were involved in hand-to-hand combat, attacked with irritating chemicals and tasers. They were attacked with American flagpoles, bats, bricks and flagpoles. “
Pittman said 125 policemen were beaten, more than 70 were injured and the damage went beyond physical injuries.
“From the point of view of mental health, it is understandable that many are still struggling,” she added.
Congressional leaders paid tribute on Wednesday to the murder of U.S. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick in the building he died defending, promising his family and fellow officers that they will never forget his sacrifice.
Pittman hinted that changes in training are already underway and said that an internal review diagnosing what happened and the failures that occurred that day is already underway; including a physical security assessment of the US Capitol complex.
Last week, she said a permanent fence needs to be put up.
“We will make significant changes to our operations, policies and procedures, based on the findings, as well as the findings of other simultaneous analyzes,” said Pittman.
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