US Capitol security worked against one threat, but vulnerabilities remain against a crowd

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A gigantic fence still encircles the Capitol after the Jan. 6 attack. In mid-March, security officials eliminated an outer security perimeter that sealed off the Capitol complex and adjacent House and Senate office buildings for blocks around. Authorities maintained the inner fence, protecting just the immediate 'square' around the Capitol itself.

Police say 25-year-old Noah Green rammed a blue Nissan Altima into USCP Officers Billy Evans and Kenny Shaver. Green then plowed the car into a reinforced steel barricade blocking his route to the Capitol, jumped out and wielded a machete. Officers shot and killed Green.Rotunda this week. He’s the fourth USCP officer Congress has so honored – and the second one this year.It is beyond tragic that Evans died.

There is a double driveway for vehicular ingress and egress. Each lane is protected by two layers of massive steel barricades that can be raised and lowered. Go a few feet and there’s another set of roadway fortifications. They are bulky. You can practically hear the weight of the barricades when raised and lowered. Steel grazes steel, producing an uncomfortable, industrial-sounding"nails-on-chalkboard" shriek. That’s always followed by a deep, hollow thump.

Lawmakers return to the Capitol this week. The Senate has been gone more than two weeks. The House, more than three. It’s the first lengthy recess of any period, with both the House and Senate being out. There was only one short hearing of the period. The House and Senate were in session through the holidays, trying to pass the fifth COVID package and override the veto of former President Trump of the defense bill.

There’s no agreement among lawmakers about how to properly secure the Capitol. That could hinder progress. But if there’s any good news about the the attack on April 3, officers kept the fight outside. That’s a big difference between what happened then and what unfolded on Jan. 6. April 3 appears to be a one-off. A"lone wolf." Someone determined to come to the Capitol and unleash mayhem. That’s akin to what happened on July 24, 1998. Russell Weston Jr., who had a history of mental problems, came to the Capitol and killed Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson. There wasn’t a larger organized threat.

 

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