The Capitol Police’s internal watchdog on Thursday described in harrowing detail how officers were woefully underprepared for the Jan. 6 insurrection after leaders failed to …
The Capitol Police’s internal watchdog on Thursday described in harrowing detail how officers were woefully underprepared for the Jan.6 insurrection after leaders failed to communicate intelligence warnings and decided against providing more effective weapons to fight back the violent mob. In testimony before a House committee, Capitol Police inspector general Michael Bolton highlighted two recent reports listing numerous failures by the top brass and called for a major overhaul of training and operations on the force. Bolton told lawmakers on the House Administration Committee that the Capitol Police leadership opted against using stronger weapons such as sting balls out of concerns that they would be misused and cause life-altering injuries or death amid the attack on the Capitol. If those heavier weapons had been used, Bolton said, it would have helped the Capitol Police establish a “better posture to repel these attackers.” „It would be very difficult to say it would’ve absolutely turned the tide, but it certainly would’ve given them a better chance at doing what they needed to do,” he added. Bolton’s two reports have focused on the Capitol Police’s intelligence-gathering operations and the Civil Disturbance Unit that is tasked with responding to protests. The inspector general’s office is now in the process of providing “flash reports” every 30 days that are expected to cover other factors in the Capitol Police’s response to Jan.6, including manpower usage, training and K-9 units. The reports found that Capitol Police failed to ensure that an FBI bulletin warning of the threat of violence reached members of leadership before Jan.6. According to the report, a Capitol Police task force officer assigned to the FBI Guardian Squad Task Force emailed the FBI memo to an internal Capitol Police email distribution list “late in the evening” on Jan.
