“Heavier, less lethal weapons,” including stun grenades, “were not used that day due to leadership orders,” Bolton wrote. Officials on duty on January 6 told him that such equipment could help police repel the rioters.
The findings of Mr. Bolton will be discussed on Thursday afternoon, when he will testify before the House Administration Committee. He issued two investigative reports – both classified as ‘sensitive law enforcers’ and not made public – on the agency’s shortcomings on 6 January. He is also planning a third report.
CNN first reported on a summary of the latest findings.
The report – entitled “Review of the Events Around the 6 Jan 2021, Takeover of the US Capitol” – retains some of its fiercest criticisms of the management of the agency’s Civil Disturbance Unit, which exists to prevent tragedies such as the 6 January . Instead, nearly 140 officers were injured, and one, Officer Brian D. Sicknick, later collapsed and died after being assaulted by rioters.
Bolton writes that the Civil Disorder Unit “worked at a reduced level of readiness due to a lack of equipment standards.” In particular, Mr. Bolton during the riot focused on an embarrassment to functional shields for police officers in Capitol.
Some of the shields equipped with officers during the riot broke a blow because they were improperly stored in a trailer that was not climate-controlled, Bolton found. Others could not be used by officers in dire need of protection because the shields were locked in a bus.
“When the crowd became riotous, the CDU platoon tried to gain access to the bus to disperse the shields, but could not because the door was locked,” the report reads, abbreviated to the Civil Disturbance Unit. . The platoon “consequently had to respond to the crowd without protecting their riot shields.”
Mr. Bolton also said the agency has an outdated roster and staffing issue.
“I hope that the recommendations will result in more efficient, effective and / or economical operations,” he wrote.