January 6 by Julie Kelly

Author:Julie Kelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Published: 2021-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX:

WHOSE SIDE ARE THEY ON? THE ROLE OF THE CAPITOL POLICE

After January 6, Democrats finally found a police force they could praise and did not want to defund: The United States Capitol Police.

As part of the legislative branch, the USCP is protected from Freedom of Information Act requests. Oversight of the 2,000-member force is administered by four congressional committees and a small Capitol Police Board composed of the sergeants-at-arms for the House and Senate, the Architect of the Capitol, and the agency’s chief-of-police. USCPs annual budget jumped from $464 million in 2020 to $515 million in 2021, a budget that rivals that of police forces in many mid-sized cities.65

Initially, Capitol police were heralded as heroes on January 6; but for their bravery that afternoon, who knows how many lawmakers would have been killed, the media pondered aloud. Some officers undoubtedly acted courageously, moving elected officials and staff to safer quarters, protecting cherished property inside the building, and calming a few heated flashpoints.

Overall, however, the role of the Capitol police force is not as clear-cut as the media or Congressmen on both sides of the aisle want the public to believe. Contradictory images showed Capitol Police at one point fighting with demonstrators, firing teargas and rubber bullets, while in other videos they appear to be admitting demonstrators to the Capitol and posing with them for selfies. When it was revealed that the USCP had declined additional support from the National Guard, many on the right found it suspicious. Meanwhile some on the left accused them of complicity in the insurrection and of being riddled with white supremacists.

The USCP is not exactly free of controversy. Prior to January 6, USCP faced serious scrutiny for its lack of transparency and the conduct of some USCP officers. Internal complaints at the agency skyrocketed between 2016 and 2020; several pending lawsuits described allegations of racial discrimination and sexual harassment. An investigative report by Roll Call published just a few months before the Capitol protest detailed accusations contained in a wrongful dismissal suit filed by a former officer.

“A male Capitol Police officer allegedly used the department’s computer to solicit sex on Craigslist, send sexually explicit emails and attempt to buy an illicit drug from Qatar, according to filings in one officer’s gender discrimination lawsuit that summarizes internal department documents,” reporter Chris Marquette wrote on September 24, 2020. “Another male officer allegedly stored sex toys in his Capitol Police vehicle, photographed himself masturbating, and took photos of a handcuffed, partially nude woman in the back of the car, the lawsuit states. A male commander allegedly asked a female subordinate to have sex with him in his hotel room. The officers all received some form of punishment, described by an expert on police conduct as light. None of them were demoted or fired.”66

Demands for accountability and greater access to USCP materials prompted Rep. Rodney Davis in 2020 to introduce a reform bill that required USCP to produce a semi-annual report on the “functions and activities of the United States Capitol Police” and make the information available to the public.

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