The latest attack in Washington DC is causing a lot of unease on Capitol Hill, especially among the police officers who protect the area. Capitol Hill police officer William Evans was killed Friday after a man rammed his car into him and a second officer, Ken Shaver. Shaver was released from the hospital Sunday. The attacker was killed by police. While the fences that were erected after the siege on Capitol Hill were just removed, how to ramp up security once again and how to raise morale within the police department are top concerns. Union Chairman Gus Papathanasiou released a statement saying:
“This attack, combined with the violent events of the January 6th insurrection, have left our officers reeling… We have now lost two officers in the line of duty this year. Another officer has taken his own life and we have 80 officers who were seriously injured in the insurrection. Some of those injured officers may never return to duty… I’ve had many younger officers confide in me that they’re actively looking at other agencies and departments right now.”
He goes on to say, “our first priority has to be retaining our existing officers. There are immediate steps Congress can take to address this. The question is, will Congress do so?”
NBC adds that Papathanasiou would like to see “Congress to implement the recommendations presented last month as part of a task force looking into the Jan. 6 riot, which was led by retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré.”
The report recommends that Capitol Police fill all open positions and add nearly 800 more positions “to fill assessed capability gaps, which includes intelligence specialists, operational planners, supervisors, Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU) personnel and trainers, and dignitary protection agents, to name just a few.”
Watch more from NBC above.