The trade union has accused Yogananda Pittman of failing to act properly ahead of the January 6 riots in Washington
An association representing police officers serving in the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday blamed Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman and her team for failing to act ahead of the January 6 riots in the U.S. capital. This was reported by The Hill newspaper, citing a statement by Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the US Capitol Police Labour Committee.
“The police officers are angry and I don’t blame them [for] it. We have been let down by the entire management team and they should be held accountable for it. Their inaction has resulted in loss of life”, – the paper quoted the chairman of the union, which represents the interests of more than a thousand police officers, as saying.
The reason for the vote of no confidence, the newspaper informs, was the testimony of Pittman who stated the day before at the closed hearing that the Capitol Police received the information about the mass disorder on January 6, which was to end with the seizure of the US Congress building by the demonstrators, but did not take appropriate measures. “We knew there was a strong possibility of violence and that Congress was the target,” The Hill quoted Pittman as saying. She apologised to Congress and the American public for such a “huge lapse” in security.
According to Papathanasiou, police officers took the testimony as evidence that “they had been betrayed”.
“The disclosure that the entire senior staff knew what was being prepared but failed to take proper steps to better prepare us for potential violence, including the possible use of firearms against us, is unthinkable,” he said. – That they did not bring this information to the police officers on duty before the riot started is unjustifiable.”
In an email sent to The Hill, Papathanasiou made it clear that the union wanted Pittman and her assistant Sean Gallagher to resign. “They have let us down and let Congress down,” he summed up. The union chairman added that its members were opposed to having an “outsider” as the new Capitol police chief – the terms of his appointment have not yet been determined. The union proposes Inspector Tom Loyd, respected by members and colleagues, for the post.