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The Capitol Police union on Monday endorsed an array of security enhancements that are being recommended by retired Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré in response to the Jan. 6 assault at the Capitol, including hiring 1,000 more officers, establishing a quick reaction force for emergencies and considering options for different types of security fencing around the complex.
“I look forward to reviewing Lt. Gen, Honoré’s full recommendations when they are made available,” Gus Papathanasiou, the union’s chairman, said in a statement. “The fact we were understaffed was no secret.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped General Honoré to conduct the security review in the aftermath of the mob attack. A person familiar with his recommendations said they included the hiring 1,000 new officers to help provide security for members of Congress. General Honoré is also calling for more fencing for the Capitol, though it may not be permanent, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the conclusions were not finalized.
There are more than 200 vacancies on the Capitol Police force.
General Honoré also wants to establish a quick response team, most likely involving National Guard troops, to assist the Capitol Police with future emergencies.
“One of the primary challenges on Jan. 6 is that we did not have a fixed perimeter that we could easily defend,” Mr. Papathanasiou said. “The bicycle racks that were put in place did not stop anyone, and they were actually used as weapons against the officers by the insurrectionists.”
Mr. Papathanasiou said the agency needed a fixed boundary for future protests. “Whether it’s a permanent fence or temporary that can quickly be deployed is open for discussion,” he said. “However, we definitely need a solution so that Jan. 6 never happens again.”
General Honoré, who won widespread applause for his response to Hurricane Katrina, has clashed in recent weeks with Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, who has been widely criticized for leading objections about America’s elections that helped further former President Donald J. Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud.
General Honoré wrote on Twitter on Jan. 11 that Mr. Hawley should be “run out of DC and Disbarred ASAP.” That tweet was later deleted.
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