Former Capitol Police Chief Issues Chilling Warning: ‘It’s Only Gonna Get Worse’

Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who was chief during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection attempt, wrote in a forthcoming book that his former agency “isn’t in a better place or on a more ready base” following the deadly events of the Capitol Riot.

On Sunday, The Washington Post’s Carol Leonnig described excerpts from Sund’s book, “Courage Under Fire,” including her recollection of a tense call with Pentagon leaders and her description of failures both inside and outside outside his former agency.

Sund described the “greatest intelligence failure” that has occurred within the United States Capitol Police.

“Nearly two years after the events of January 6, the department is not in a better place or on a more ready footing,” wrote Sund, who resigned a day after the riot following pressure from the president of the Nancy Pelosi House (D-Calif.) .

“Few in the department believe there is a viable plan to move the agency into a better position,” Sund wrote. “Hundreds of officers have left the department since January 6 and many believe it will only get worse.”

Sund described his concerns about his former agency’s command structure, calling it a “recipe for disaster,” according to the Post. He suggested future agency heads be allowed to follow through on security plans themselves, rather than going through a board made up of the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the Capitol’s architect.

Sund also wrote in his book that many of the factors that made the Capitol vulnerable on Jan. 6 “remain unresolved,” citing a number of failures during the events of that day.

He noted that military leaders delayed sending National Guard reinforcements to the Capitol, the failure of security measures after 9/11, and allegations that the Pentagon sent security personnel to the homes of military officials. the day of the riot.

“We failed miserably to see the apparent warning signs and danger, like a ‘gray rhino,’ charging straight at us,” wrote Sund, who said various security agencies, including the Capitol Police, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. ― did not warn him of impending danger signs until January 6.