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Six months after Jan. 6, Capitol Police says it's working "around the clock" to change agency

06 July 2021
Dan Ackermann

Six months after the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, The U.S Capitol Police (USCP) is highlighting its work to support officers, enhance security around the Capitol Complex and pivot towards an intelligence-based protective agency.

The big picture: The half-year since the riot has seen the department implement broad changes, as it continues to work with federal law enforcement to track down those involved in the attack. So far, more than 500 people have been charged, acting Chief Yogananda Pittman wrote Tuesday.

What she's saying: "We honor all the brave men and women who, against all odds, faced down a violent crowd that day and protected our elected leaders and everyone who was in the Capitol Complex," Pittman wrote.

  • "We will never forget their bravery and will continue to work in their honor."

Between the lines: Pittman said USCP "has been working around the clock with our Congressional stakeholders" to implement changes since Jan. 6, including ...

  • Implementing wellness services for officers, including working with trauma counselors, offering spiritual support services, developing a peer support program and working with groups that specialize in addressing psychological trauma and stress, among other areas.
  • Enhancing security for members of Congress who reside outside of the D.C. area. The Department is also in the process of opening field offices in California and Florida to investigate threats to members of Congress. 
  • The department has added joint training with the National Guard, riot training and shoot and don’t shoot scenarios.
  • USCP is working with Congressional oversight and the Capitol Police Board to get the authority to immediately request National Guard help if needed, without having to wait for board approval.

Go deeper: More than 70 officers have left U.S. Capitol Police since Jan. 6 riot

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.