Say Goodbye To The Outer Fence: Capitol Hill Police Adopt New Security Changes

The U.S. Capitol Hill Police (USCP) is making plans to scale back on security measures. 

This may come as a surprise, considering the siege that took place a few months ago. However, lawmakers have been adamant about a change, as “long-range security are excessive.” 

According to CNN, the new expected measures were sent out via email. Within the next two weeks, those working on the Capitol can expect to see the removal of “the outer perimeter of the fence along the Capitol grounds.” By early next week, bike racks will be “positioned in double rows outside some areas to create a barrier between police and potential threats, giving officers more time to react effectively.”

While removing the outer fence may seem extreme, Lt. General Russel Honoré commented that the fence is simply a “false sense of security.”

 “The four miles of fences that now ring the Capitol will do nothing to prevent another attack or to help us understand the underlying failures that allowed the riot to happen,” Honoré wrote. 

Though there are currently no threats on Congress or the Capitol, Capitol police are most worried about a “lone wolf” attack — an attack from a single person. 

There are also plans to cut back on the number of National Guard troops present on Capitol Hill.

As CNN reported, the Pentagon did extend the deployment of the National Guard per USCP request. Two-thousand three-hundred troops are scheduled “to stay at the Capitol through May 23.” This is “down from 5,000 soldiers that were expected to be there through March 12.”