Jun 10, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Capitol Police union calls on acting chief to "stand aside" over riot findings

Rebecca Falconer

Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman attends a press briefing about the security incident at the U.S. Capitol on April 2, 2021 in Washington, DC. — Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman during an April press briefing in Washington, D.C. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Capitol Police union on Wednesday called on Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman to "stand aside" following this week's Senate report on the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Driving the news: The report found a failure to relay intelligence helped lead to the deadly Capitol riot. Capitol Police union chair Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement to news outlets, "As the Senate report found, our leadership failed us and we paid a horrible price."

What they're saying: "The time has come for those in senior leadership who failed us, to stand aside. It is not enough to scapegoat others," Papathanasiou said.

"Those most responsible, including Acting Chief Pittman who was in charge of intelligence prior to the insurrection, need to step aside for the good of the department."
The Capitol police are "rapidly approaching a crisis," Papathanasiou said.
"We are already down more than two hundred officers below our authorized level," he added. "This includes approximately 70 officers who have left the department since the insurrection."
Capitol police declined to comment.

Go deeper: Capitol Police union says leadership failed the department

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Capitol Police union calls on acting chief to "stand aside" over riot findings

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