US Capitol Police needs ‘cultural change’ after riot: Watchdog

Inspector general tells Congress police department was ill-prepared for insurrection, needs sweeping overhaul.

A congressional watchdog for the US Capitol Police told Congress on Thursday that the department needs a “cultural change” and that management decisions not to deploy crowd control weapons dampened the force’s response to the January 6 riot at the Capitol. Inspector General Michael Bolton told a House panel the Capitol Police would have had “a better chance” against the mob of pro-Trump rioters who overran the Capitol building if they had used stun grenades to help push back the crowd. Police used pepper spray and batons and, with one exception, did not fire their guns to try to control the crowd, which was eventually pushed back by formations of police in riot gear.