WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — A task force led by retired Army Lieutenant General Russel Honoré has recommended a number of measures to better secure the U.S. Capitol in the aftermath of the deadly riot on Jan. 6.
The 15-page report unveiled on Monday suggested using “mobile fencing” to eventually replace the fencing erected around the Capitol, and urged the creation of a rapid-reaction response force in Washington.
The report comes as U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies are trying to determine the best way to secure the Capitol over the long term. Officials last week quibbled over requesting National Guard reinforcements to remain in D.C., and whether to remove the massive fence that has encircled the Capitol grounds since January.
Honoré and the group of experts stated in its report Monday that the current fence covers such a large area “that it requires significant personnel resources to monitor its entire length.”
“As the fencing comes down, we recommend it be replaced with a mobile fencing option that is easily erected and deconstructed and an integrated, retractable fencing system in the long term to secure both the Capitol Building and Congressional office buildings,” the group stated. “Such a solution could enable an open campus while giving security forces better options to protect the complex and its Members should a threat develop.”
The group of experts also recommended upgrading U.S. Capitol Police intelligence capabilities, saying that the law enforcement agency was “understaffed, insufficiently equipped and inadequately trained to secure the Capitol and Members when violently attacked by a large mob.”
The “quick-reaction force” would cover the entire city of Washington under the command of the District of Columbia National Guard and using military police from across the U.S. on temporary rotations.
The report noted that the city is a “prominent tourist destination, venue for many peaceful First Amendment activities, and a high-value target for foreign terrorists or domestic extremists, yet it has no dedicated QRF (quick-reaction force) for response to crises.”
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Reuters contributed to this report. Reporting by Manas Mishra, Jeff Mason and Lisa Lambert.