The watchdog for the U.S. Capitol Police Department (USCP) says it still needs to make more improvements to its policies and operations more than 11 months after a mob violently stormed the U.S. Capitol.
“The department still has more work to achieve the goal of making the Capitol Complex safe and secure,” said Michael Bolton, Inspector General for USCP.
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Bolton testified before a Senate panel Tuesday and called for USCP to operate more like a protective agency instead of a traditional police department.
The difference is that police generally react to a crime while a protective agency is more focused on preventing it.
“Although the department has addressed some of our recommendations and has made security improvements throughout the Capitol Complex, much work still needs to be addressed in relation to training, intelligence, cultural change and operational planning,” said Bolton.
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More than 100 officers from multiple agencies were hurt in the Jan. 6 attack.
Lawmakers from both parties addressed the urgent need to keep officers safe during Tuesday’s hearing.
“We owe it to these courageous officers to make sure they have the resources and support and the rules in place to do their jobs,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
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“The front line officers were the true hero that day,” said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). “They defended the Capitol bravely and without hesitation.”
USCP Chief Tom Manger told our Washington News Bureau in October that at least 100 officers left the department following Jan. 6, with many retiring or leaving for other jobs.
Bolton did say morale seems to be improving during his testimony.
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“When you talk about morale, that’s a difficult to thing to pinpoint as far as getting a definitive feel for morale. It is something anecdotal,” said Bolton. “I would say that their morale has generally increased or gotten better since obviously Jan. 6, because they are seeing some changes.”
USCP said while it agrees there’s still more work to do, it’s also highlighting the many changes it has already made.
“Training is a top priority,” USCP said in a statement. “We are working diligently to address staffing shortages in order to provide officers more time for additional training.
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“Although there is more work to do, the Department has made immense progress in first addressing the specific failures that led to the January 6 attack, such as improving the way the USCP gathers, analyzes and distributes intelligence, professionalizing major event planning, implementing joint exercises ahead of events, conducting in-person briefings for uniformed officers prior to events, developing a process to get assistance from partnering agencies, ordering additional equipment, holding dozens of training sessions, expanding the Wellness Division, and adding a new external communication plan to improve the speed and accuracy of information for the public and journalists,” USCP added.
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