New security measures follow major breach of Capitol building
New security measures following breach of Capitol building
The mayor of Washington D.C. is calling on Congress to create a nonpartisan commission to investigate the catastrophic failures of Capitol Police and wants to see an anti-terrorism taskforce look into the arrest and prosecution of those involved.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The images of Wednesday’s security breach at the U.S. Capitol have shocked, saddened, and angered the country.
At a news conference Thursday morning, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed concern over the events that took place.
"Obviously it was a failure or you would not have had police lines breached and people entering the capitol building by breaking windows," Bowser said.
She called on Congress to create a non-partisan commission to investigate the "catastrophic failures" of the U.S. Capitol Police and said the Joint Terrorism Task Force should investigate, arrest, and prosecute the people who broke into the Capitol and destroyed property.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for the resignation of the Chief of Capitol Police Steven Sund. By Thursday afternoon, Sund announced he would resign effective Jan. 16.
The House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving also announced his resignation, as did the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger.
Videos posted to Twitter show the moments a mob of rioters broke through barricades and stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Other videos show some rioters taking a selfie with law enforcement and a woman being helped down the Capitol steps by an officer.
President-elect Joe Biden noted the stark contrast between the security seen Wednesday for Trump supporters and the security at a Black Lives Matter protest over the summer.
"No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protestors yesterday... they wouldn't have been treated very very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the capitol," Biden said.
Dr. Tommy Tunson, a retired police chief and army officer who serves as the Director of Public Safety Training at Bakersfield Community College, said it’s no secret what happened. Different groups are treated differently. He said he was dismayed at the lack of preparation for a major event.
"All indications to me are that someone told them to stand fast instead of to deploy the way those officers knew they should have," Tunson said.
Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy said a 7-foot non scalable fence went up around the U.S. Capitol. By the weekend, 6,200 National Guardsmen will be mobilized in Washington due to help from neighboring states. The security will be in place for at least 30 days.
McCarthy noted that the National Guard in Washington D.C. was not activated prior to the start of the riot. Metropolitan Police Department Acting Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said MPD officers were not requested either until well after the situation was out of control.