Russel Honoré: retired lieutenant general says Capitol fencing alone won’t prevent another attack



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“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 an editorial in the Washington Post criticizing the response of federal law enforcement. before and during the assault on the US 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 Capitol Police and lawmakers. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle grew increasingly frustrated and quickly rejected the Capitol Police proposal in late January to build permanent fences.

Honoré said in his article that the Capitol fence “provides a false sense of security” and compares it to the southern border wall, which he describes as a “costly failure”.

“The complete collapse of law enforcement was preventable,” he wrote. “We have been slow to come to terms with the reality that a danger to our democracy also lies within our borders. We have been unwilling to invest in personnel and resources to deal with these dangers.”

He argued that what Capitol Hill needs instead of the fence is “more staff, more intelligence gathering capabilities, better coordination with other federal law enforcement agencies, stronger internal lines of authority and clearer command focused on threats to public property and officials. ”

Honoré also suggested replacing the fence with retractable gates and an updated CCTV system.

“The Capitol’s security apparatus has been awaiting review for a long time,” he added.

Honoré’s task force released its final report on Monday, which calls for sweeping changes to improve the U.S. Capitol Police emergency response and multiple security improvements around the Capitol complex – the first formal effort to remedy security failures.
The report also includes recommendations to increase the intelligence gathering capabilities of the Capitol Police, add a permanent rapid reaction force and implement movable fences that can replace the current temporary security structure, according to a copy obtained by CNN. .

Democratic aides told CNN that many of the report’s recommendations would likely be echoed in an additional House Appropriations Committee security funding bill.

CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.

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