The review recommends that a rapid reaction force be established to be on full-time standby near the Capitol and that the US Capitol Chief of Police does not need to obtain approval from the police council or weapons sergeant to request the quick reaction, a change that seems to solve chain of command problems in the National Guard detachment, such as those seen on January 6.
In addition, the review includes adding more than 1,000 US Capitol officers to help protect lawmakers while they are in Washington, DC, and back to their home states, and the installation of retractable fences around the complex of the Capitol.
Congressman Tim Ryan told CNN on Thursday that he believes Honoré is “getting it right” with his recommendations.
“It’s very comprehensive. It’s about intelligence. It’s about information flows. It’s about training, training intelligence officers. The hardening of the Capitol. The districts are covered,” he said.
“It will take some time for all of this to be implemented, but I was right, as far as I could tell,” added Ryan.
In January, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi instructed Honoré to conduct an independent review of the security presence around the Capitol, after a pro-Trump crowd stormed the building.
Preliminary recommendations, first reported by CNN last week, included improvements to the physical security infrastructure around the complex, better communication resources for officers and additional personnel to reinforce a force that was invaded by protesters last month.
The addition of more than 1,000 Capitol police officers – at an approximate cost of $ 100 million – would include about 350 police officers and expanded staff at regional offices, according to sources with knowledge of the preliminary recommendations.
The review concluded that the force must be expanded in part to meet members’ security needs when they are back home, one of the sources with knowledge of the findings told CNN last week.
This story and headline have been updated with additional information.