Four Years Ago, I was a Capitol Police Officer

On this day in 2020, I was a Capitol Police Officer, and the election misinformation from Trump and his team was just beginning. Now, I am making sure what happened in January 2021 never happens again

Do you remember where you were two weeks before the 2020 election? I do. 

I was a Capitol Police officer, defending our nation’s Capitol Building. Most people don’t really know what we do as the Capitol Police. Before January 6th, many Americans probably didn’t know we existed, and many still don’t truly understand what we do. 

The Capitol Police have lots of capabilities, in part because we are a relatively large police department. We have a Riot Control Unit with all the special gear that big-city departments have. 

We have a Hazardous Devices Section, a Hazardous Material Response Team, Special Operations, and a Crime Scene Search Team. We have a Containment and Emergency Response Unit and a SWAT team. We have a Crisis Negotiation Unit, Reports Processing Team, Court Liaison Unit, and Special Events Section. I could go on, but I think you get the point. 

We provide security and protection to the members and staff at three Senate office buildings that run along Constitutional Avenue north of the Capitol: the Russell Senate Office Building, the Dirksen Senate Office Building, and the Hart Senate Office Building. We are also responsible for three buildings on Independence Avenue south of the Capitol: Cannon House Office Building, the Longworth House Office Building, and the Rayburn House Office Building. 

Four years ago, I was doing my job as a Capitol Police Officer, protecting the various buildings associated with the United States Capitol. My job, like most days, was pretty uneventful. But, during that same time, I began to hear the rumblings of Donald Trump and possible election misinformation. 

Four years later, I am doing everything in my power to make sure that what happened on January 6, 2021 never even has the opportunity to happen again. 

This past week, I joined Nicolle Wallace to talk about how Donald Trump claimed what happened in January 2021 was a “peaceful” transition of power. Newsflash–it was anything but. Watch below:

I also spent time with our next Vice President of the United States, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz:

We finished off the week in New York helping get out the vote for Josh Riley, in New York’s 19th Congressional District, and Laura Gillen in New York’s 4th Congressional District, two must-win seats for House Democrats. 

If January 6th hadn’t happened, my fellow officers who lost their lives in the wake of that horrible day would be here to be loved by their families and friends and appreciated by other United States Capitol Police officers. If January 6th hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have gone through the mental anguish that I did and that I am still working through with counseling. If January 6th hadn’t happened, the place where I work wouldn’t be filled with regret and bad memories around every corner. If January 6th hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be the subject of lies and ridicule all over the internet. 

I speak out not because I want something for me but because I want accountability. I want the people responsible for that day, including Trump and anybody else who conspired to breach the Capitol and try to halt our democracy, to pay a price, just like we paid a price. And I want us to never repeat a day like that. It is a stain on our nation. 

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Always in service, 

Harry Dunn