- A Capitol Police officer told Insider that he and others hoped to take an extra shift last Wednesday, but were sent home.
- Insufficient force was crushed when a pro-Trump crowd invaded the Capitol. The authorities did not resume control for hours.
- The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed the upper echelons for leaving the force understaffed and unprepared to deal with the crowd.
- “The lack of manpower has caused the whole disaster,” he said. “We just didn’t have the numbers.”
- Capitol Police did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
A U.S. Capitol Police officer blamed the department’s leadership for leaving the force understaffed last week for the pro-Trump protest that resulted in protesters breaking into the Capitol building and causing havoc.
The official asked to remain anonymous, citing the department’s policy of not speaking to the media without permission.
He said he was working the night shift last week and found it “intriguing” that he and his colleagues were sent home earlier than expected on Wednesday. He also said that no one asked him to return after the attack.
Insider contacted the Capitol Police for comment twice, but did not receive a response on Monday, two days after the first request.
The officer said everyone in the department knew in advance about the pro-Trump march and thought it would be a hands-on situation on deck.
The policeman packed a backpack full of protein bars and coffee, hoping to work late after his normal shift ended at 7 am.
But instead, he said, the bosses sent their shift home at 10 am
“Naively, I thought, well, they must know something that we don’t know. Maybe they have information showing that they are not going up the hill,” or “they don’t think they are that violent,” he said.
“I trusted that they knew what they were doing by letting us go home,” he said.
“So, of course, I woke up in the afternoon with my wife telling me that they broke into the Capitol,” said the officer.
The policeman said he checked his phone, hoping to find a lot of missed calls asking him to go to work, but was shocked to find none.
“They didn’t even try to call us back,” he said.
Cops with riot gear struggling to prevent a pro-Trump crowd from entering the Capitol.
Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty
The officer said he found it especially strange that his bosses would turn down extra officers, as many of his colleagues were sick from the coronavirus.
“The lack of manpower has caused the whole disaster,” he said. “We just didn’t have the numbers.”
The officer made it clear that he thought the people responsible for what happened were the troublemakers.
But he said that senior officials share some of that responsibility for low staffing levels and for not having other agencies readily available to help.
He said he was not sure why the aid was refused, but that many agencies did not like to accept foreign aid because “they are reluctant to admit that they need it”.
He said it was the “right decision” for Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund to resign after the siege, as the situation could “absolutely” have been avoided.
“If we had all hands on deck and accepted outside help, I believe we could have prevented them from entering,” said the official.
Sund told The Washington Post on Sunday that he asked for backup six times on Wednesday, but was blocked and ended up getting little help.
It is not taken as seriously as the BLM
The official said he saw a big difference in how his department prepared for this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests and how it handled Wednesday’s pro-Trump demonstration.
“I worked on the protests against George Floyd over the summer, and that was a situation that involved everyone. We were all ready for that. They didn’t send anyone home for that,” said the official.
“Why was this not taken as seriously as it took the potential for violence from the protests against George Floyd? Because they took it very seriously, ”he said.
Capitol Police were also criticized for the fewer arrests made during the Capitol siege on Wednesday than in the BLM protests and anti-Trump marches in Washington, DC.
The policeman said he could see why more arrests were not made at the moment, because each prison occupies a policeman who could help protect the area.
Read More: There is a reckoning coming to the Congressional police force that has allowed the worst violation of the US Capitol since the British burnt down the building in 1814
Officer Brian Sicknick died of injuries sustained in the siege of the Capitol.
United States Capitol Police via AP
He gave a possible explanation of why more arrests were made in other protests. He said some marches had “mass prison teams”, but he thought none were working on Wednesday.
He said these teams were built for situations where the demonstration is peaceful and the protesters are trying to be arrested “to make a statement”. He said he was not sure whether they would be appropriate on Wednesday, when all officers would be needed to defend the Capitol.
Capitol Police did not respond to Business Insider’s request for confirmation that no mass prison staff were working on Wednesday.
The policeman said it was not clear to him why the police did not make further arrests when the protesters started to retreat on Wednesday.
“I was confused for a second, but I’m sure the goal was to keep as many officers on the field as possible,” he said.
“I’m sure the thought was, ‘We put them on the camera. We can examine them later and get them after the fact,'” he said.
He said the disparity in the treatment of Trump’s mob and BLM protesters could be seen as tacit support for protesters.
“It appears that we are favoring white nationalists over peaceful protesters who protest against illegal shootings,” he said. “I understand that it looks terrible.”
Capitol Police loyalty questions
The officer also talked about two videos that appeared to show some officers opening barricades and leading people to the Capitol complex and an officer taking selfies with some Trump supporters.
Both videos led many to question whether the department or any of the officers were complicit in the violation.
The official who spoke to Insider said he worked with many Trump supporters, but none of them were so fanatical as to risk their jobs helping an insurrection.
The flag outside the Capitol on Friday in honor of Sicknick.
Patrick Semansky / AP
The officer said he did not recognize the officer who posed for a selfie with Trump supporters, but that he hoped he was not attracting that attention.
He also said he “had no idea” why some policemen were caught on video opening gates and waving people through.
“Perhaps there is a tactical reason for this,” he said. “I don’t know any officer who would just walk away and let these guys pass. If they did, it’s because they were ordered or forced to do so.”
Since Wednesday, two Capitol police officers who responded to the attack have died. Brian Sicknick died from his injuries. Howard Liebengood died of an apparent suicide; it was not clear whether his death was related.