Capitol Police

WASHINGTON -- US Capitol Police yesterday sought an arrest warrant for Representative Cynthia McKinney after she tangled with a uniformed officer last week. A spokesman for US Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein said he was reviewing the merits of the case. "We are working with Capitol Hill police to fully understand and appreciate the incident," principal Assistant US Attorney Channing Phillips said in a telephone interview. Neither Phillips nor the police department would say what charge was being sought against the six-term Democrat or when any warrant for her arrest might be...

The chief of the U.S. Capitol Police says he plans to retire at the end of May. Phillip D. Morse has spent 28 years with the congressional law enforcement agency and has served as chief since 2006. According to The Washington Post (http://tinyurl.com/7lalb5f), Morse pans to take a job in the private sector. Morse said in a statement that his new position will allow him to spend more time with his family. He did not offer details about the job. The Capitol Police is responsible for security at all congressional facilities and employs about 1,775 officers.

Occupy Augusta protesters have been told to get a permit or move their tents out of the state-owned Capitol Park. Capitol Police have allowed the protesters to stay in the park near the State House since Oct. 15 out of respect for their rights. But Capitol Police Chief Russ Gauvin has now told demonstrators they need to apply for a permit by Monday. He told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/vzWDAk) that the campers have damaged the ground and other people are complaining they can't use the park.

The Rhode Island state police have promoted 25 officers. State police superintendent Col. Steven O'Donnell announced the promotions, which recently took effect. The top promotion went to Lt. Col. Raymond Studley, who is also a deputy superintendent. Studley, a 22-year veteran of the state police, is chief of field operations which includes the uniform and detective bureaus. Also promoted was Maj. James Pereira. He is also serving as the department's chief administrative officer.

Occupy Augusta protesters have been told to get a permit or move their tents out of the state-owned Capitol Park. Capitol Police have allowed the protesters to stay in the park near the State House since Oct. 15. But Capitol Police Chief Russ Gauvin has now told demonstrators they need to apply for a permit by tomorrow. He told the Kennebec Journal that the campers have damaged the ground and other people are complaining they can't use the park. Jim Freeman, of Verona Island, said the group has no intention of applying for a permit or moving from the park.

WASHINGTON -- Police checkpoints that have surrounded the Capitol since August were gone yesterday following a postelection decision by authorities to lower the threat level. The removal of the vehicle checkpoints that delayed traffic along Constitution and Independence avenues and other roads around the Capitol coincided with the Homeland Security Department's decision to lower the threat level from orange to yellow for financial institutions in New York, Washington, and Newark.

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans, reacting yesterday to the confrontation last week between Representative Cynthia McKinney and a Capitol Police officer she is accused of hitting, pressed for a resolution to commend the police force for its professionalism. Democratic leaders did not defend McKinney, a Georgia Democrat, or her allegation of racial profiling. The congresswoman is black. "I don't think any of it justifies hitting a police officer," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

An Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker was arrested at a House hearing Wednesday after trying to film the proceedings without the required media credentials. Joshua Fox of Milanville, Pa., was led out of the room in handcuffs and charged by Capitol Police with unlawful entry. He was released later by the Capitol Police with a misdemeanor citation for, in his words, "practicing journalism," The New York Times reported. He said he did not have to pay a fine or post bail. A court date was set for Feb. 15. Fox directed the anti-drilling...

Twenty-two protesters were arrested Monday after disrupting the opening of the House debate on a bill to resolve the debt limit crisis, Capitol Police said. Police quickly removed the protesters from the House spectators' gallery after they interrupted the floor debate by unfurling a banner and chanting. They could be heard shouting "Boehner, get off it. It's time to tax corporate profits. " House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was not on the House floor at the time. He has opposed any tax increases to help balance the federal budget.

An Occupy Augusta protester has been charged with threatening to use a sledgehammer on another city resident at Capitol Park. State police spokesman Steve McCausland says a 27-year-old Augusta man made the threat Thursday afternoon. McCausland says Capitol Police issued a summons for him at around noon Saturday. The man was also given a trespass notice that prohibits him from being in Capitol Park, a state park near the State House. The protesters are going to federal court on Monday to prevent their ouster from Capitol Park.

TOPEKA, Kan. - Several homemade bombs were found yesterday in a pickup truck parked near the Kansas State House that had specialty license plates issued only to US military paratroopers, and police said they arrested the owner inside an underground tunnel connecting the Capitol to an office building. Capitol Police spokesman Patrick Saleh said the incident was not connected to another arrest yesterday of a man who allegedly phoned in a threat to Governor Sam Brownback's office from a Topeka motel.

An Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker was arrested at a House hearing Wednesday after trying to film the proceedings without the required media credentials. Joshua Fox of Milanville, Pa., was led out of the room in handcuffs and charged by Capitol Police with unlawful entry. He was released later by the Capitol Police with a misdemeanor citation for, in his words, "practicing journalism," The New York Times reported. He said he did not have to pay a fine or post bail. A court date was set for Feb. 15. Fox directed the anti-drilling documentary "Gasland,"...

WASHINGTON - Several hundred protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement converged on the West Lawn of the Capitol yesterday to decry the influence of corporate money in politics and voice other grievances. Organizers had portrayed the rally, known as Occupy Congress, as the largest national gathering of Occupy protesters to date and secured a permit that would have allowed up to 10,000 people to participate. By mid-afternoon, the protest appeared to have fallen far short of those goals.

An Occupy Augusta protester has been charged with threatening to use a sledgehammer on another city resident at Capitol Park. State police spokesman Steve McCausland says a 27-year-old Augusta man made the threat Thursday afternoon. McCausland says Capitol Police issued a summons for him at around noon Saturday. The man was also given a trespass notice that prohibits him from being in Capitol Park, a state park near the State House. The protesters are going to federal court on Monday to prevent their ouster from Capitol Park.

AUGUSTA, Maine - Eight people were arrested following an Occupy Maine demonstration yesterday that spilled from the sidewalk over a waist-high, wooden fence to the grounds of the governor's mansion, State Police said. Spokesman Steve McCausland of the state Public Safety Department said protesters were charged with criminal trespass and criminal mischief. No names were immediately available and at least six people had made bail by the evening, McCausland said. The arrests came the same day protesters in the Occupy encampment in Capitol Park in Augusta took down...

Occupy Augusta protesters have been told to get a permit or move their tents out of the state-owned Capitol Park. Capitol Police have allowed the protesters to stay in the park near the State House since Oct. 15. But Capitol Police Chief Russ Gauvin has now told demonstrators they need to apply for a permit by tomorrow. He told the Kennebec Journal that the campers have damaged the ground and other people are complaining they can't use the park. Jim Freeman, of Verona Island, said the group has no intention of applying for a permit or moving from the park.

The Rhode Island state police have promoted 25 officers. State police superintendent Col. Steven O'Donnell announced the promotions, which recently took effect. The top promotion went to Lt. Col. Raymond Studley, who is also a deputy superintendent. Studley, a 22-year veteran of the state police, is chief of field operations which includes the uniform and detective bureaus. Also promoted was Maj. James Pereira. He is also serving as the department's chief administrative officer.

WASHINGTON -- Heavily armed Capitol police swarmed through a House of Representatives office building and briefly closed the Capitol yesterday after a congressman thought he heard gunfire and triggered what turned out to be a frightening false alarm. Authorities reported no arrests, gunfire, or injuries after a three-hour search that stranded lawmakers and aides in their offices -- though one aide was so rattled by the sight of police tactical teams that she was taken to a nearby hospital.

Occupy Augusta protesters have been told to get a permit or move their tents out of the state-owned Capitol Park. Capitol Police have allowed the protesters to stay in the park near the State House since Oct. 15 out of respect for their rights. But Capitol Police Chief Russ Gauvin has now told demonstrators they need to apply for a permit by Monday. He told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/vzWDAk) that the campers have damaged the ground and other people are complaining they can't use the park.