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Capitol Police Revise Details On Intruder
A vehicle believed to have been used by alleged intruder Carlos Greene to breach U.S. Capitol security is hauled away.
(By Lauren Victoria Burke -- Associated Press)
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Legislators have expressed shock and anger that Greene managed to get so far into the Capitol.
"It's very serious," Allard said. "You can just assume that terrorists somewhere are taking note."
Congress has given the Capitol Police hundreds of millions of dollars for new equipment and additional officers since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The force now has more than 1,600 officers.
The House Appropriations Committee is expected to meet Tuesday to review how the Capitol Police handled the incident, officials said.
"Frankly, I think it's a bit outrageous that this kind of incident could take place with all of the new police personnel and all of the money we have spent," Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), a committee member, said in a telephone interview. "Obviously, somebody on the front line was simply not paying attention."
Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), said he was "extremely concerned" and "wants a report about how this will never happen again."
The Capitol Police are being assisted by "national security agencies" in their investigation, Allard said yesterday. McGaffin said he had requested the agencies' assistance "so we can have an independent assessment" of the incident. He declined to identify them, but another official said the U.S. Secret Service was involved.
McGaffin has blamed the security breakdown on human error, rather than funding or equipment. He declined to specify what went wrong until an internal review is finished.
He acknowledged that the intruder made it through two key points: the entrance on the perimeter of the Capitol and the door into the building, which was not locked or guarded. That door was being used by construction workers who have been trying to finish the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center that is under construction on the east side of the building.
Since the incident, security has been increased, with added police posts around the Capitol and concrete barriers placed in front of the construction entrance on First Street and Maryland Avenue NE used by the intruder.
Greene, of Silver Spring, has been jailed since his arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court today on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
