Task force on Capitol security released final report Monday

The task force established to review security at the US Capitol released its final report Monday, which calls for sweeping changes to improve US Capitol Police’s emergency response and multiple security enhancements around the Capitol complex.

The report includes recommendations for increasing Capitol Police’s intelligence gathering capabilities, a permanent quick reaction force and implementing mobile fencing that can replace the current temporary security structure, according to a copy obtained by CNN.

CNN reported Friday that the executive copy of the report included recommendations for mobile fencing around the complex, a quick reaction Capitol Police force on standby when Congress is in session and an overhaul of how members are protected in their home districts.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré was tasked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in January to lead a review of Capitol security, following the deadly January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.

The report is the first detailed assessment addressing how to fix what went wrong at the Capitol when insurrectionists breached the Capitol walls and overran Capitol police who were badly outnumbered. The report touches on everything from the intelligence and emergency response failures to the staffing levels of the US Capitol Police.

“The USCP were understaffed, insufficiently equipped, and inadequately trained to secure the Capitol and Members when violently attacked by a large mob,” the report concludes.

CNN first reported last month that that two sources said a draft copy of the review recommended adding more than 1,000 US Capitol Police officers, establishing a dedicated quick reaction force and building an integrated system of walls and fences around the Capitol complex. CNN reported on Thursday that Honoré had briefed senior members of Congress on the review, and Rep. Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat, said that he believes Honoré is “hitting the nail on the head” with his recommendations.

Acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett sent a letter to all members this morning with a copy of General Honoré’s task force findings and recommendations on Capitol Security ahead of the three member briefings Monday.

More officers and mobile fencing

The report recommends Capitol Police increase its staffing by more than 850, including filling more than 200 officer vacancies, adding an additional 350 officers and hiring more than 400 positions to fill gaps, such as intelligence specialists, operational planners and Civil Disturbance Unit personnel.

In addition, Honoré’s report found that security across the House’s 900 district offices was “inconsistent.” The task force recommends funding for every congressional district office to be equipped with proper security systems, along with home security systems for members where warranted.

At the Capitol, the report recommends a mobile fencing option that is “easily erected and deconstructed,” along with a long-term, retractable fencing system for the Capitol and congressional office buildings. The proposal acknowledges the opposition that’s emerged to proposals for making the fencing around the Capitol permanent.

“Such a solution could enable an open campus while giving security forces better options to protect the complex and its Members should a threat develop,” the report says.

The task force also recommends conducting background checks for those who receive identification cards at the Capitol, which includes members and their staffs, which the report says would “decrease insider threat risks and enhance the safety of all Members, staff, and legislative employees.”

That proposal could face resistance from Republicans, who have bristled over security steps Pelosi has taken inside the Capitol to install metal detectors right outside the House chamber.

‘Too slow and cumbersome’

The task force takes aim at the multiple intelligence and communication failures from January 6. The report concludes Capitol Police was not postured to handle intelligence threats “due to significant capacity shortfalls, inadequate training, immature processes, and an operating culture that is not intelligence-driven.”

The recommendations included an increase of trained intelligence analysts and more integration of intelligence functions into Capitol Police leadership daily operations and planning. “This will require a dramatic, consistent, leader-driven shift in the USCP’s cultural mindset toward threat-based operations and decision-making,” the report says.

The task force concluded that the Capitol Police Board’s “deliberate decision-making process proved too slow and cumbersome” on January 6, recommending changes to how external law enforcement support is requested.

The report recommends a dedicated quick reaction force that could be used not just at the Capitol but across Washington, taking either from existing law enforcement entities or by creating it under the command of the DC National Guard.

The report proposes Capitol Police make several changes to specialized units. It recommends keeping civil defense unit platoons on duty whenever Congress is in session, increasing the size of its explosive detection dog teams and re-establishing a mounted horse unit, which was disbanded in 2005.

“Best used in high pedestrian and dense crowd areas, a well-trained horse and rider can assist in controlling crowds or quelling disturbances with few serious injuries to demonstrators,” the report says.

This story has been updated with additional developments Monday.