Capitol Police plan to remove the outer fence and make other security changes

Capitol Police plan to remove the outer fence and make other security changes

by

The measures, described in an internal email, include removing the outer perimeter of the fence along the Capitol grounds over the next two weeks and using bike racks positioned in double rows outside some areas within a week to create a barrier between the police and potential threats, giving police more time to react effectively.

Capitol Police still believe they are operating in a high-threat environment due to the political climate and rising domestic violent extremism, according to the email. Authorities believe that a single person attack, commonly known as a “lone wolf” attack, poses the greatest risk.

Capitol Police say there is no known and credible threat to Congress or the Capitol. The agency said in the e-mail that the plans could change if the authorities learn of new threats.

The agency also plans to maintain the presence of National Guard troops on the Capitol over the next few weeks, as previously reported by CNN. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a request by the Capitol Police to continue providing 2,300 troops until May 23 last week.

About two to three weeks after the outer fence is removed, the Capitol Police will reevaluate and likely reduce support from the National Guard, the email said.

Last week, the Pentagon extended the sending of the National Guard to protect the Capitol until May, at the request of the Capitol Police. The plan calls for about 2,300 soldiers to remain on the Capitol until May 23, compared to 5,000 soldiers who were supposed to be there by March 12.

The Capitol Police’s decision to assume more and more responsibility echoes Lieutenant General Russel Honoré’s ideas in a recent Washington Post article. Honoré, who led a Capitol security review after the January 6 rebellion, said on Friday that the fence around the complex “will do nothing to prevent another attack”, and the threat to our democracy “is within our borders. “
Retired General Russel Honoré says Capitol fences alone will not prevent another attack

“The six kilometers of fences that now surround the Capitol will do nothing to prevent another attack or help us understand the underlying flaws that allowed the riot to happen,” wrote Honoré in the article, which criticized the federal police’s response before and during the attack on the Capitol complex.

The barbed wire and about 2.1 meters in place after the pro-Trump crowd attacked the Capitol became a point of contention between the USCP and lawmakers. Members of Congress on both sides of the corridor are increasingly frustrated and quickly rejected the USCP’s proposal in late January to build a permanent fence. Honoré said in his article that the Capitol fence “provides a false sense of security” and compared it to the wall along the southern border of the United States, which he describes as an “expensive failure”.

Fortaleza DC: Frustration rises as lawmakers struggle with the Capitol's endless security

The changes come at a time when lawmakers are also expressing frustration with the continued presence of National Guard troops. This month, the Capitol Police called for an extension for National Guard troops, but lawmakers failed to gain much clarity from the USCP and the Pentagon on why the deployment of Guard troops was extended from mid-March to May, according to with a known source within range.

There was even a discrepancy within the Department of Defense about how many troops to keep on the ground. Three defense officials confirmed that Austin had analyzed a proposal to retain fewer than 1,000 soldiers, but finally decided to give the USCP the total number of soldiers requested.

“There was a discussion” about approving fewer than 1,000 soldiers, a defense official told CNN.

.Source