- Capitol Police officers want answers on how to deal with future protests after the January 6 attack.
- Several officers told CNN they received conflicting information during the attack.
- Union officials are also preparing a vote of “no confidence” on the department’s leadership.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Some Capitol Police officers are demanding answers almost a month after pro-Trump supporters breached the Capitol building, and union officials are preparing a vote of “no confidence” on the department’s leadership, CNN reported.
The attack left five people dead, including officer Brian Sicknick, whose body was laid in honor in the Capitol building Tuesday night in recognition of his service during the siege.
The breach also resulted in at least 38 officers on the force contracting COVID-19, NPR reported. CNN added that over 100 officers are still recovering from significant physical wounds. An additional officer died by suicide following the attack.
Several officers, who remained anonymous told CNN they were concerned that the department did not provide clear guidelines on the use of force and said some leaders weren’t present and others gave conflicting commands.
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Eva Malecki, an agency spokesperson told CNN: that the events of that day “continue to be under investigation by several law enforcement agencies, the Department cannot comment on individuals’ actions at this time.”
One Capitol officer who worked the night shift before the attack previously told Insider, that he and other officers expected to work the day of the riot but were sent home early and weren’t called back after the attack.
He told Insider that everyone in the department was aware of the pro-Trump march and he even prepared a backpack full of protein bars and coffee expecting to work more hours, but instead was sent home at 10 a.m.
“Naively, I thought, well, they must know something that we don’t. Maybe they have intel showing they’re not going to come up on the Hill,” or “they don’t think they’re that violent,” he said.
Videos and images from the day showed protesters clashing with officers. In one instance, a police officer was crushed in a doorway. Two Black officers said Pro-Trump rioters called them the n-word and said that some of their fellow officers appeared to be “catering” to the rioters.
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Christina Laury, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, told WJLA that by the time the MPD arrived on the scene the rioters had already taken over the Capitol ground. But, she said, officers there were doing everything in their power to not let the rioters access the building, even as they were being beaten by metal poles and sprayed with mace.
“I don’t think we even understood the magnitude and the amount of people that were actually there,” Laury told the outlet. “By the time I got there, officers were already getting, you know, sprayed with whatever these individuals had, which I believe they had bear mace, which is literally used for bears.
A Capitol spokesperson did not reply to Insider’s request for comment.
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