Capitol Police, Secret Service hold drills to 'be ready for anything'
U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service hosted what officials say was one of the nation’s largest civil disturbance unit trainings, with more than 600 officers taking part.
The exercise, held Friday at the James J. Rowley Training Center in Laurel, Maryland, drew officers from more than a dozen state, county and city agencies, with other federal partners including National Guard and Homeland Security observing the drills -- an effort formed by the security concerns of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Capitol Police Officer Aaron Davis, who responded on Jan. 6, helped lead the exercises.
"We want it to be as real as possible, we wanted this to be the environment where we make our mistakes,” he said. “We want to be able to say, ‘Hey, this is what we did wrong, this is what we need to correct.’”
Capitol Police Assistant Chief Sean Gallagher said the agency is preparing for unprecedented dangers.
“We've taken lessons of the past, incorporated them into these scenarios, the goal with this is to be proactive, not reactive, to be ready for anything that should occur on Capitol grounds,” Gallagher said.
The training marked the third joint exercise between Capitol Police and the Secret Service, according to law enforcement leaders.
Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said the event has helped strengthen interagency ties.
“Training like this is incredibly important; this is the opportunity to build relationships,” Sullivan said.
Officers rotated through seven scenario-based drills, including a simulated riot where protesters hurled wooden blocks meant to simulate bricks, bottles and trash while chanting. Trainers also staged simultaneous situations, such as protecting a lawmaker while confronting a suspicious man nearby who turned out to have a gun.
The training featured drones, bike and foot patrols, and armored officers with shields and batons. A Secret Service mobile command vehicle with satellite internet coordinated responses across multiple radio frequencies and even had the capability to deploy its own drone.
Both agencies emphasized that they continue to meet with advocacy groups before, during and after demonstrations. Capitol Police also highlighted its new "dialogue unit," which works with protest organizers ahead of events to ensure demonstrations remain peaceful while maintaining better communication with advocacy groups for safer outcomes.
