Capitol Police Told to Hold Back on Riot Response on Jan. 6, Report Finds
Despite being tipped that “Congress itself is the target†on Jan. 6, Capitol Police were ordered not to use their most powerful crowd-control weapons, according to a scathing new watchdog report.
By Luke Broadwater
April 13, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Capitol Police had clearer advance warnings about the Jan. 6 attack than were previously known, including the potential for violence in which “Congress itself is the target.†But officers were instructed by their leaders not to use their most aggressive tactics to hold off the mob, according to a scathing new report by the agency’s internal investigator.
In a 104-page document, the inspector general, Michael A. Bolton, criticized the way the Capitol Police prepared for and responded to the mob violence on Jan. 6. The report was reviewed by The New York Times and will be the subject of a Capitol Hill hearing on Thursday.
Mr. Bolton found that the agency’s leaders failed to adequately prepare despite explicit warnings that pro-Trump extremists posed a threat to law enforcement and civilians and that the police used defective protective equipment. He also found that the leaders ordered their Civil Disturbance Unit to refrain from using its most powerful crowd-control tools — like stun grenades — to put down the onslaught.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/us/politics/capitol-police-riot-report.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20210413&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=108256783&segment_id=55522&user_id=68ed15cee0a36f3326a30763880aebdb
