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ATF May Assist Cops
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
ATF May Assist Cops Agents Would Work on Protective Details By Mark Preston and Lauren W. Whittington Federal agents may soon join the Capitol Police in providing Members with personal protection under a proposal being considered to provide a respite for the overworked police force. The plan calls for special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to be assigned to the Capitol Police Dignitary Protection Division, which provides plainclothes security details for Congressional leaders and some Members who face what officials believe are credible threats to their safety.Capitol Police spokesman Lt. Dan Nichols said the proposal to use ATF agents is under review by the Capitol Police Board. The concept behind it, he said, shares the same motivation as the plan to call in the National Guard - a need to augment the force. Since Sept. 11 Capitol Police personnel have been putting in overtime and continue to work 12-hour, six-day-a-week shifts, with no leave except under certain circumstances. The additional manpower would allow these officers to rest and receive additional training. "The National Guard is being brought in to help the Uniformed Services Bureau to provide relief and training for their personnel, and the proposal is to bring the ATF in to provide relief for the Dignitary Protection Division," Nichols said. "But it's still under review and consideration by the U.S. Capitol Police Board."Nichols explained that the ATF agents would have duties similar to those carried out by special agents currently assigned to the DPD."The proposal is that they would actually be performing duty assignments that the Capitol Police would normally fulfill so that we can pull our agents offline for training and also give them some much needed downtime," Nichols said.The size of the force's dignitary protection unit swelled following Sept. 11, as more Members sought and were granted personal protective details. The greater demand forced the department to pull uniformed officers off the street and put them into the division.Beyond an outline of their basic duties, there are still many details the board will need to work out. "We haven't made a determination for how long we would utilize the ATF or how many" agents would be needed, Nichols said. But he said any deployment of ATF agents would be temporary, as is the case with National Guard military police. "It's just like the National Guard, it's a short-term solution to a long-term problem," he said. Although the use of ATF agents is still under review, the proposal to bring National Guard personnel to the Hill is getting closer to becoming a reality. Several sources said National Guard troops could be on the campus as early as this week, though Nichols said a timetable for deployment is still not set in stone.Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.) indicated in an interview that both the National Guard and ATF deployments are going to happen "soon.""The problem is, we are spreading our Capitol Police too thinly," Daschle said. "We really need to find a way to supplement the work force we have temporarily until we can hire more people."These are only just temporary initiatives to more successfully deal with the workload and the schedule that these people are keeping," he added.Capitol Police and D.C. National Guard officials have devised an operational plan for how the extra personnel would be used, but Congressional leaders must sign off on the proposal before it can be implemented. "We are still awaiting final approval from the leaders, and when that is done and the other issues that need to be addressed are addressed and the orders are cut, I'll release that information," Nichols said. A letter from the Capitol Police Board has been circulated to Congressional leaders. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said Thursday that he signed the letter, and an aide to Daschle said his boss signed it Friday. House Leaders are prepared to sign off after the Senate does, according to a House leadership aide.Erik Smith, communications director for House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), said the office hasn't seen a letter yet, but "If they need us to sign one, we'll sign it."Since Sept. 11 Congressional officials have reached out to other federal law enforcement and military representatives seeking both advice and manpower assistance in an effort to enhance security in and around the Capitol complex.Plans to utilize the National Guard call for "using 101 military police personnel at various posts on the periphery of the Capitol complex, but not on or near the Capitol plaza," according to the letter circulated to Congressional leaders. The National Guard will assist Capitol Police with vehicle and perimeter screening, diverting commercial traffic and the operation of vehicles used to block access points, among other duties.Nichols said Guard officers will wear fatigues, otherwise known as battle dress utility uniforms, and carry 9 mm side arms. Currently Capitol Police officers carry .40-caliber handguns.Although the Guard proposal has been supported across the board by Congressional leaders, it is still receiving mixed reviews from rank-and-file lawmakers.Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) remains adamantly opposed to deploying the force to the Capitol complex."The National Guard is so overworked now," Inhofe said. "They have so many things they are doing right now that I would hate to give them one more area where they have responsibility."But Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a former Capitol Police officer, said these measures are necessary to keep the officers rested and sharp."The hours are too long, and they are just exhausted, and I am glad that the National Guard is coming," Reid said. "I think the ATF people can do nothing but help relieve the [Capitol police officers] so they can take a day off now and then."There were also signs last week that a similar debate may occur if the ATF proposal is eventually approved. Lott, a vocal advocate of bringing the Guard to Capitol Hill, hesitated to give his full support to the idea of having ATF special agents deployed on Capitol Hill."I don't think I like it, but I haven't been briefed on it," he said.A Capitol Police union spokesman said the relief is long overdue, but expressed concern about its temporary nature.Mike DeCarlo, head of the Capitol Police Labor Committee, called both proposals "a Band-Aid solution."Meanwhile, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) fired off a letter to House Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood on Nov. 2 that outlines what she sees as the low morale problems facing the force and a list of 10 complaints from officers, including poor treatment at the hands of superiors. "I am very concerned about the complaints that many officers have made, and I am particularly disturbed by the low morale that appears to be widespread throughout the department, apparently caused by an unfavorable work environment," McKinney wrote. The Georgia lawmaker said she was prompted to write the letter after speaking with an officer who told her he wasn't allowed to use his cell phone to call his children to make arrangements to pick them up. "It is bad enough that officers are working 70-plus hours a week, barely seeing their families," she wrote. "But to have officers come to work and be verbally abused by their superiors and treated like children, without consideration for the burdens placed upon them is unacceptable."McKinney was traveling Friday and could not be reached for comment about the letter, but a spokesman said the Congresswoman had not received a response. A spokeswoman for Livingood did not return a phone call seeking comment. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), an advocate for increasing the size of the force, said many of the problems won't be fixed until there is a permanent increase in manpower."Using the National Guard ... to temporarily supplement the force is an option that will probably need to be used ... but in the long term we need to hire more officers, as I have been arguing since 1998," Hoyer said. "I am hopeful that other Members who were hesitant before will now come on board and we can get this train moving to improve life for the hard-working Capitol Police officers." http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2001/11/news1112a.html
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