Capitol Police plan to remove exterior fence and make other security changes

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The measures, outlined in an internal email, include removing the outer perimeter of the fence along the Capitol grounds over the next two weeks and using bike racks positioned in double rows outside certain zones within a week to create a barrier between police and potential threats, giving officers more time to respond effectively.

Capitol Police still believe they are operating in an environment of heightened threat due to the political climate and the rise in domestic violent extremism, according to the email. Authorities believe that a single-person attack, commonly referred to as a “lone wolf attack,” poses the greatest risk.

Capitol Police maintain that there is no known and credible threat to Congress or the Capitol. The agency said in the email that plans could change if officials learn of new threats.

The agency also plans to maintain a National Guard troop presence on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks, as CNN previously reported. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved a Capitol Police request to continue providing 2,300 troops until May 23 last week.

About two to three weeks after the exterior fence is removed, Capitol Police will reassess and likely reduce National Guard support, the email said.

Last week, the Pentagon has extended the deployment of the National Guard to protect the Capitol until May, at the request of the Capitol Police. The plan calls for around 2,300 troops to remain on Capitol Hill until May 23, compared to 5,000 soldiers who were to be there until March 12.

The Capitol Police’s decision to gradually take on more responsibility echoed Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré’s ideas in a recent Washington Post editorial. Honoré, who led a security review on Capitol Hill following the January 6 riot, said on Friday that the fences surrounding the compound “will do nothing to prevent another attack” and that the threat to our democracy “lies within our borders.”
Retired Lieutenant-General Russel Honoré says Capitol fencing alone won't prevent another attack

“The four miles of fencing that now surround the Capitol will do nothing to prevent another attack, nor to help us understand the underlying failures that allowed the riot to occur,” Honoré wrote in the editorial. , who previously criticized the response of federal law enforcement. and during the assault on the Capitol complex.

The razor wire and 7-foot fences put in place after the pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol have become a point of contention between the USCP and lawmakers. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle grew increasingly frustrated and quickly rejected the USCP’s proposal in late January to build permanent fences. Honoré said in his article that the Capitol fence “provides a false sense of security” and compared it to the wall along the southern border of the United States, which he describes as a “costly failure”.

Fortress DC: Frustration mounts as lawmakers fight endless Capitol Hill security

The changes come as lawmakers have also expressed frustration over the continued presence of National Guard troops. This month, Capitol Police called for an extension of National Guard troops, but lawmakers were unable to get much clarity from the USCP and the Pentagon on why the deployment of the National Guard troops. Guard was extended from mid-March to May, according to a familiar source. with awareness.

There was even a divergence within the Ministry of Defense on the number of soldiers to keep on the ground. Three defense officials confirm that Austin considered a proposal to keep less than 1,000 troops, but ultimately decided to give USCP the full number of troops requested.

“There has been a discussion” about approving less than 1,000 troops, a defense official told CNN.

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