Trouble is brewing for the Capitol Police force, under fire over security lapses that have recently included leaving loaded service weapons inside public bathrooms,
The Hill reported.
The police, who are charged with public safety for Congress and Capitol Hill, have weathered embarrassing criticism for incidents that have included allowing a manned gyrocopter to land on the capitol's West Lawn — which came with plenty of warning from the perpetrator, an angry mailman fed up with government.
Lawmakers have called out the force's police chief Chief Kim Dine amid worries about lax security, the Hill reported. The left-behind gun incident sparked anger.
"These are very serious breaches that alarm all of us," said U.S. Rep. Candice Miller of Michigan who serves as the chairwoman of the House Administration Committee.
"When you are in an open public environment with literally millions of visitors each year, securing your weapon is of primary importance," she told Dine during a hearing Wednesday, The Hill said.
Dine accepted responsibility and said he would deal with the breaches.
Capitol Police stepped up on Sunday to locate and detonate a suspicious pressure cooker device left inside a car. The vehicle smelled of gasoline, sparking concerns as Memorial Day events were occurring in the area,
USA Today reported. The car's owner was arrested. Pressure cookers have been used as bombs, including by the Boston Marathon bombers in their deadly 2013 attack.
The Secret Service, like Capitol Police, have also been under fire after a man armed with suspicious package scaled a White House fence in April. While the man, Jerome Hunt of California, got about 15 feet inside, he was "compliant" as guard dogs approached,
CNN said.
That incident followed on the heels of a similar fence-jumping last September when a man got onto the White House lawn and up to an unlocked door on the grounds, CNN added.
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