- Capitol police officers were told not to use forceful crowd control tactics during the January 6 riot.
- A watchdog report says ‘heavier, less deadly weapons’ have been suspended by order of the leadership.
- The order was given despite an intel report outlining the possibility of violence at the Capitol.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
Despite warnings ahead of the January 6 riot about the danger of violence, Capitol police officers have been ordered not to use their most aggressive crowd control tactics such as stun grenades on the crowd, a screaming new watchdog report revealed Tuesday.
“Heavier, less deadly weapons were not used that day due to leadership orders,” Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton wrote in a 104-page report reviewed by The New York Times. CNN reported for the first time on Thursday on the watchdog report, revealing more failures of law enforcement in the January 6 siege.
According to the Times report, Bolton found that the agency could not properly prepare and respond to the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6, despite warnings about the prospect of violence in which “Congress itself is the target is.”
He wrote that leaders had ordered officers in their unit for civilian disturbance, who handle the policing of large rallies of protesters not to use powerful crowd control equipment and tactics to disperse the rioters. Service officers from the day of the riot told Bolton that the tools could help repel the rioters.
An intelligence assessment by Capitol police indicated the prospect of violence by supporters of President Donald Trump three days before the uprising.
“Unlike previous post-election protests, the targets of pro-Trump supporters are not necessarily the opponents as before, but Congress itself is the target on the 6th,” the threat assessment said, citing the watchdog report.
“Stopping the tendency of the steal to attract white opposition members, militia members and others who actively promote violence could lead to a significant dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public,” the review continued.
But in a January 5 threat assessment on the planned protests the next day, Capitol police said there were “no specific threats related to the joint session of Congress,” Bolton wrote in the report.
The Times reported that the watchdog report, entitled “Review of the Events Surrounding the January 6, 2021, Takeover of the U.S. Capitol,” was being reviewed during a congressional hearing.
Five people were killed in the Capitol riot, including a Capitol police officer.