New “mobile fencing” and a “quick reaction force” are among the security enhancements a special task force recommended on Monday to House lawmakers.
Last month, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore to conduct a complete security review of the Capitol following the Jan. 6 attack by hundreds of violent pro-Trump protesters.
A 16-member task force led by Honore issued a 13-page draft report that criticized the Capitol security structure leading up to the attack as inadequate.
“The breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 brought into stark relief the need to immediately improve the security of the Capitol Complex and the security of Congressional Members and staff,” the members of the task force wrote to lawmakers in the draft report.
Honore began briefing House lawmakers on Monday, and they are now eager to authorize new federal spending to pay for the improvements.
“Clearly, the need to act soon is upon us,” Rep. Peter Aguilar, a California Democrat, said after the briefing.
The House, he said, would need to approve a new round of federal funding strictly for Capitol security “sooner rather than later.”
The report calls for adding 900 additional Capitol Police, in part to reduce the thousands of hours of police overtime required to protect the building in ordinary times.
Since early January, the Capitol has been surrounded by 8-foot fencing topped with barbed wire and is protected by several thousand National Guard troops.
Neither law enforcement nor congressional leaders have indicated when the fencing will come down or when troops will leave.
The report suggested the “quick reaction force” could be permanent and could be made up of federal officers or National Guard members and that fencing could be the kind that law enforcement is able to deploy quickly if needed.
House and Senate lawmakers called for the security review following the Jan. 6 attack.
That day, Capitol Police were quickly overwhelmed by a large and angry mob that easily tore past low metal barriers and pushed their way into the building. Lawmakers were forced to abandon the House and Senate chambers and flee to safety.
Dozens of people were injured, and five people died.
The draft report calls for many changes to Capitol security.
Capitol Police would wear body cameras and would reinstate the mounted unit, which was eliminated in 2005, which the draft said can serve as “moving walls” capable of crowd control.
“Best used in high pedestrian and dense crowd areas, a well-trained horse and rider can assist in controlling crowds or quelling disturbances with few serious injuries to demonstrators,” the draft advises. “They increase mobility, allowing officers to reach a scene more efficiently than on foot or in a vehicle.”
The K-9 unit is insufficient and the dogs are too old, the draft indicated.
The report calls for expanding the number of explosive-detecting dogs “so they may also be employed more broadly.”
The report also calls for Capitol Police to conduct more thorough background checks of all employees.
The draft predicts that the 8-foot fencing that now surrounds the Capitol will “come down” but advises replacing it with a mobile fencing option as well as a retractable fencing system around the Capitol and the office buildings.
“Such a solution could enable an open campus while giving security forces better options to protect the complex and its Members should a threat develop,” the draft advises.
