Two years after Jan. 6, Capitol Police union says still no answers, unprepared for another incident

The U.S. Capitol Police remains ill-prepared for another Jan. 6, 2021-esque incident, according to a Tuesday press release from the United States Capitol Police Labor Committee, which also decried the USCP leadership for failing to answer key questions about law enforcement's preparations for the event.

"First, how could we have been so unprepared given the intelligence USCP had weeks ahead of the attack?" asked Capitol Police Officers' Union Chairman Gus Papathanasiou. "Second, why hasn't anyone at the top of USCP's leadership responsible for these intelligence failures been held accountable?"

More than 140 Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police officers sustained injuries during the breach of the Capitol, with one dying of natural causes after sustaining injuries on January 6 and four more committing suicide following the event.

The release further cited Capitol Police's receipt of intelligence reports about an upcoming effort to storm the Capitol and did little to prepare for such an occurrence.

"What infuriates me, is knowing our leaders had intelligence that should have driven a massive security response," Papathanasiou said. "If then Assistant Chief Pittman, who was in charge of intelligence, had shared that information, it would have allowed us to prepare properly, coordinate with partner agencies and the National Guard as the proper show of force would have been on display, and January 6th possibly would have turned out differently."

"It's our belief, the Capitol would not have been breached had the global fence been up and law enforcement been prepared," he continued. He further highlighted the upcoming retirement of many officers and the uncertainty of retaining many existing officers. Papathanasiou asserted that congressional action to bolster the Capitol Police was necessary to prevent a future disaster.

"We must all work together to support law enforcement throughout this country and provide the necessary tools and resources for officers to do their jobs and safely go home to their loved ones at the end of every shift. I just hope that we are not still talking
about this on the third anniversary," he concluded.