Off-duty police, firefighters under investigation in connection with U.S. Capitol riot

Author : monermanus

Publish Date : 2021-01-11 22:58:29

Off-duty police, firefighters under investigation in connection with U.S. Capitol riot

Reuters) - As investigators seek to identify rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol, police departments in Virginia and Washington state have placed officers on leave as authorities examine whether they took part in unlawful acts while off-duty.

Fire departments in Florida and New York City have also said they reported to federal authorities allegations that some of their members may have been present when the mob broke into the Capitol as Congress met to certify the results of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

The police department in the small town of Rocky Mount, Virginia, said on Sunday it had placed two officers on administrative leave after it learned they attended an "event" in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday while off-duty.

"The Town of Rocky Mount fully supports all lawful expressions of freedom of speech and assembly by its employees but does not condone the unlawful acts that occurred that day," the department said in a statement, saying it had notified federal authorities.

Five people lost their lives, including a Capitol Hill police officer, when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the formal recognition of Trump's election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Dozens of people have been criminally charged, and the FBI has sought help from the public to identify more participants.

Seattle's police department (SPD) said it also placed two officers on administrative leave while an investigation takes place into any role they may have played in the chaos that unfolded on the other side of the country.

"If any SPD officers were directly involved in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, I will immediately terminate them," the department's interim chief, Adrian Diaz, said in a statement.

The New York City Fire Department said it provided information to the FBI after receiving "anonymous allegations" that some of its members, active or retired, were present during the rioting in the nation's capital.

And in Florida the Sanford Fire Department said it placed one of its firefighters on administrative leave and was investigating after a photo and video emerged online that appeared to show him among the mob.

On Saturday a top Democratic lawmaker said the Capitol was a crime scene and urged mobile carriers and social media companies to preserve all data related to the carnage.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

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Sund reportedly turned down assistance from the federal government both ahead of the riot, and even amid the riot.

COLLEEN LONG, MICHAEL BALSAMO and LISA MASCARO

Mon, January 11, 2021, 12:31 PM GMT+6

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite ample warnings about pro-Trump demonstrations in Washington, U.S. Capitol Police did not bolster staffing on Wednesday and made no preparations for the possibility that the planned protests could escalate into massive violent riots, according to several people briefed on law enforcement's response.

The revelations shed new light on why Capitol Police were so quickly overrun by rioters. The department had the same number of officers in place as on a routine day. While some of those officers were outfitted with equipment for a protest, they were not staffed or equipped for a riot.

Once the mob began to move on the Capitol, a police lieutenant issued an order not to use deadly force, which explains why officers outside the building did not draw their weapons as the crowd closed in. Officers are sometimes ordered against escalating a situation by drawing their weapons if superiors believe doing so could lead to a stampede or a shootout.

In this instance, it also left officers with little ability to resist the mob. In one video from the scene, an officer puts up his fists to try to push back a crowd pinning him and his colleagues against a door. The crowd jeers “You are not American!” and one man tries to prod him with the tip of an American flag.

Category : news

Off-duty police, firefighters under investigation in connection with U.S. Capitol riot

Capitol police were overrun, little defense against rioters

Capitol Police chief resigning after mob attack

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