Capitol Police Chief Can Now 'Unilaterally' Ask for National Guard Help In Emergencies
22 Dec 2021
Military.com | By Rebecca Kheel
The U.S. Capitol Police chief will be able to more quickly ask for the National Guard's help in an emergency under a bill signed Wednesday by President Joe Biden.
The chief will now be able to "unilaterally" request assistance from the D.C. National Guard or federal law enforcement agencies without prior approval from the Capitol Police Board, streamlining a process that lawmakers have identified as one of the reasons for the Guard's slow response during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
The bill passed both chambers of Congress earlier this month in voice votes.
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"January 6th showed us that every minute counts during an emergency," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., the bill's sponsor, said in a statement after the Senate passed the measure. "Our report found that Capitol Police officers and their law enforcement partners were left alone to defend the Capitol and our democracy itself from violent insurrectionists, while the chief of the Capitol Police was delayed in obtaining approval to request help from the National Guard."
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/12/22/capitol-police-chief-can-now-unilaterally-ask-national-guard-help-emergencies.html
