Security review recommends hiring 1,000 new Capitol Police officers
A Capitol security review will recommend adding roughly 1,000 new Capitol Police officers to the force and improving infrastructure around the Capitol Hill complex, according to an executive summary obtained by ABC News.
The draft report -- shared with congressional leaders and relevant committees -- recommends replacing the temporary, razor wire-topped fencing around the House and Senate office buildings with mobile and retractable fencing that could still "enable an open campus," absent any threats. It also recommends empowering the Capitol Police chief to request assistance from federal law enforcement and the D.C. National Guard in an emergency, to avoid the extensive delays that plagued the response to the Jan. 6 riot.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that lawmakers will review the draft and "hear what the security folks have to say” before proposing any changes to the Capitol's security apparatus.
The review, details of which were first reported by CNN, also recommends establishing a permanent quick reaction force to be on standby in Washington to supplement Capitol Police and local law enforcement when needed, suggests that Capitol Police maintain civil disobedience units when Congress is in session and consider reestablishing a mounted unit that could help patrol the Capitol grounds.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel