The U.S. Capitol Police has recommended disciplinary action against six officers who responded to Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the department announced in a news release Saturday evening.
The violations that were sustained against the six officers included three cases of conduct unbecoming and one case each of failure to comply with directives, improper remarks and improper dissemination of information, the department said.
Separately, a case involving an unnamed Capitol Police official accused of unsatisfactory performance and conduct unbecoming is still pending, according to the department.
Overall, the six cases where disciplinary action was recommended against officers are just a fraction of the total number of internal investigations launched by the department following the storming of the Capitol by a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump that came the same day the results of the 2020 presidential election were being certified by lawmakers.
All told, the department said its Office of Professional Responsibility initiated 38 internal investigations related to complaints of officers’ actions. Of those, 26 complaints contained enough information to identify the officer at the center of the complaint, the department said. In 20 of those cases, no wrongdoing was found.
In none of the cases was there evidence that any of the officers had committed a crime as determined by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C., the release stated.
“The six sustained cases should not diminish the heroic efforts of the United States Capitol Police officers,” the release stated. “On January 6, the bravery and courage exhibited by the vast majority of our employees was inspiring.”
Further details of the internal probes, including the specifics of the disciplinary action recommended and the officers’ identities, will not be made public, the department said.
The release went on to say: “The Department is committed to accountability when officers fail to meet the standards governed by USCP policies and the Congressional Community’s expectations.”
The announcement of the outcome of the internal investigations Saturday came as much of the nation’s attention was focused on marking the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Regarding the timing of the release, the news release said only that the department provided details of the administrative investigations to the U.S. Justice Department earlier this week as part of the legal discovery process in the criminal cases against the accused Jan. 6 rioters.
Some 500 people accused of taking part in the riot have been arrested and charged with crimes related to the storming of the Capitol. Authorities have described the effort of prosecuting rioters as “likely the most complex investigation ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”
