• Home
  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Categories
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

Capitol Police Union Votes ‘No-Confidence’ in Top Leaders

Seven top police leaders were included in the vote of no-confidence

February 16, 2021
Law ObyLaw Officer
in Leadership, News
Capitol Police

U.S. Capitol Police K9 Unit, 2018. (Flickr)

506
SHARES
2.2k
VIEWS
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol police union issued an overwhelming no-confidence vote for the department’s top leaders, including acting Chief Yogananda Pittman and a half-dozen other agency leaders.

The news comes as the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Rules committees announced plans for a February 23 joint oversight hearing to examine security failures, NPR reported.

Pittman drew a 92% no-confidence vote, while Capitol Police Captain Ben Smith received the highest rebuke from 97% of voting members, the union said.

The union effort began late last week as the Senate impeachment trial against former President Trump concluded. Trump was acquitted on Saturday. The police agency has 2,300 officers and civilians and an annual budget of over $460 million. A spokesperson for the union told NPR 657 of the 1050 union members participated in the vote.

“The past week of the impeachment trial showed members of Congress, and the entire country, devastating details of the violence that Capitol Police officers faced during the insurrection. It was the darkest day in the history of the Department,” Union Chairman Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement. “The results of our No Confidence vote are overwhelming because our leadership clearly failed us. We know because we were there.”

The vote results also showed Capitol Police Assistant Chief Chad Thomas drew 96%, acting Assistant Chief Sean Gallagher 84% and two deputy chiefs drew 85% or higher no-confidence votes.

Deputy Chief Eric Waldow drew the lowest percentage of the no-confidence vote, but a majority, at 64%.

  • BIDEN WON’T RULE OUT CRACKING DOWN ON SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS WITH EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The Capitol Police Union board called for rank-and-file members to consider the vote after senior leadership admitted mishandling the siege on the Capitol.

The Capitol’s top three security officials, including the former police chief, Steven Sund, resigned in the days following the attack. Sund told NPR he was rejected in his request for backup ahead of the Jan. 6 because of optics concerns. He said other efforts to gain additional help that day were significantly delayed. Sund and the other former top House and Senate officials, along with Robert Contee, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., are slated to testify at the Senate hearing on February 23.

Still, the union says other current leaders still in place at the Capitol failed and should be held accountable, according to NPR.

“Our leaders did not properly plan for the protest nor prepare officers for what they were about to face. This despite the fact they knew days before that the protest had the potential to turn violent,” the union said in a statement late Monday. “We still have no answers why leadership failed to inform or equip us for what was coming on January 6th. Our lives, as well members of Congress and staff whom we are sworn to protect, were put at risk.”

  • FORMER NFL PRO BOWL RECEIVER FOUND DEAD IN FLORIDA HOTEL

Last week, the union board said there was no alternative to the no-confidence motion, and systemic failures seen during the Capitol siege cannot be addressed without new leadership.

For example, the union has highlighted testimony given by Pittman in a closed-door meeting with the House Appropriations Committee last month. In that testimony, Pittman said the agency knew the Jan. 6 event would not be like previous protests in 2020, and it was clear that militia groups and white supremacists organizations would attend.

Pittman, who apologized in her testimony for her department’s “failings” during the riot, also conceded it was clear that rally attendants planned to be armed with weapons, including firearms, and there was a strong potential for violence.

Following her testimony, union leadership said that the force’s “entire executive team failed us, and they must be held accountable. Their inaction cost lives.”

Papathanasiou said the union hopes congressional leaders understand that they can’t retain the agency’s current leadership. Papathanasiou argued leadership has lost the trust of the officers and must be held accountable, NPR reported.

“The anger in this department is widespread and the trust that has been broken it is not going to be regained,” he said.

  • SLAIN DEPUTY’S FAMILY SUES COUNTY FOR LACK OF STAFFING

Instead, the agency should be led by current officers who don’t serve at the acting chief, assistant chief or deputy chief levels now and who have the trust of the rank and file, Papathanasiou said.

“We hope Congressional leaders hear the voice of Capitol Police officers and take action,” he said. “We appreciate the kind words we have received since the insurrection, but we need real change at the Department and that starts with a clean slate at the top.”


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: Ben SmithChad ThomasEric WaldowGus Papathanasiouno confidenceSean GallagherU.S. Capitol PoliceYogananda Pittman
Law O

Law Officer

Law Officer is the only major law enforcement publication and website owned and operated by law enforcement. This unique facet makes Law Officer much more than just a publishing company but is a true advocate for the profession.

Bookmark LawOfficer.com

Get away from social media: Bookmark LawOfficer.com or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Join the Law Officer Local Network

Local police organizations are signing up every week to push back against political nonsense and news media myths...

Follow your Law Officer Local Network:

  • Illinois
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Tulsa, OK
  • Wauwatosa, WI
Law Officer on gab

Join us on gab.com—fight censorship!

Related Posts

U.S. Capitol

Union leader says Capitol police officers want out

March 1, 2021
3.4k
Capitol officers

US Capitol Police suspends 6 officers, investigates 29 others for actions during riot

February 19, 2021
2.6k
Capitol police union

Capitol police union issues stinging rebuke of department leaders after officers at riot sustain life-altering injuries

January 28, 2021
3k
mutiny

Mutiny at NYPD? – PBA votes no confidence in mayor and police commissioner

August 28, 2019
1.2k

Police Chief Resigns Following Union “No Confidence” Vote

November 5, 2016
1k
Load More
Book: The Courageous Police Leader

Latest Articles

Police themed books

Police-themed books with spiritual answers

March 7, 2021
1.1k
judged

Dems COVID relief bill offers convicted murderers $1,400 stimulus checks

March 6, 2021
2.7k
Florida deputy

Florida deputy given nearly month-long suspension for Facebook post about Muslims

March 6, 2021
1.8k
San Francisco reporter

San Francisco reporter robbed at gunpoint while covering story about crime

March 6, 2021
3.5k
Kentucky bill

Kentucky bill would make it a crime to insult or taunt police officers

March 6, 2021
1.7k
Michigan K9 handler

Michigan K9 handler charged with felony assault after leaving dog on apprehension bite for several minutes

March 6, 2021
6.8k
Load More

Liberty University offers affordable tuition and a 25% discount for law officers and first responders.

LA Police Gear

Must Read

Murder Rate Increases, 2020-2019

Murder rates surged in 90% of America’s largest cities in 2020

March 4, 2021
3.5k

Do Reporters Hate Cops?

March 4, 2021
1.6k
Mainstream Media Fake News

Many liberals mistakenly believe 10,000 ‘unarmed blacks’ were killed by police in a year

March 4, 2021
6.8k
professor dismantles

Professor dismantles ‘Black Lives Matter’ narratives with data-driven arguments

March 4, 2021
7.8k

Too little, too late: Minneapolis City Council reverses ‘defunding’—offers $6M for police recruiting

March 4, 2021
7.9k
Load More

Most Popular

Father of teenager killed by police apologizes to the officers and invites them to her funeral

March 5, 2021
64.5k

Oklahoma City police officer charged with manslaughter—after shooting knife-wielding attacker

March 1, 2021
86k
Orisha Land

Black liberation autonomous zone — ‘Orisha Land’ — forming in Austin

March 3, 2021
39.6k

Ithaca Mayor plans to replace police department with civilians

February 28, 2021
21.3k
Black liberation autonomous zone

Black liberation group incensed after City of Austin apparently serves notice to vacate

March 3, 2021
11.6k

More from Law Officer

  • Archives (12,812)
  • Chaplain (73)
  • Community (126)
  • Cop Humor (11)
  • Crime & Controversy (55)
  • Editorial (432)
  • Gear & Technology (63)
  • Investigations (2,322)
  • Laws & Legal (1,251)
  • Leadership (466)
  • News (5,666)
  • Officer Down (774)
  • On Duty (48)
  • Op-ed (586)
  • Tactics (402)

Stand up & speak out!

Gab with us—fight censorship!

Telegram us!

Submit your Letter to the Editor

Law Officer

© 2021 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Law Officer Networks
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network

© 2021 LawOfficer.com