Subcommittee on Oversight Ranking Member Torres Opening Remarks at USCP IG Hearing

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"Thank you, Chairman, and welcome, Mr. Russo.

I also want to thank you for meeting with me earlier this week to discuss some of my concerns about security at the Capitol and I look forward to working with you in conducting oversight of the United States Capitol Police.

Oversight of the Police, including the Office of Inspector General, should be a bipartisan issue.

And while my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and I disagree on some issues, I am hopeful that we can approach oversight of the Office of Inspector General with a seriousness and bipartisanship that it deserves.

The U.S. Capitol Police Office of Inspector General is one of the most essential offices in the entire Legislative Branch.

The Inspector General's audits, investigations, and other oversight activities related to Capitol Police operations are vital to the Committee, the Congress, and, as a result, our nation.

Tragically, on January 6, 2021, we saw firsthand the importance of the Inspector General's work in making recommendations to the Department and ensuring that those recommendations are implemented.

Last Congress, on the morning of January 7, 2021, then-Chair of this Committee Zoe Lofgren asked the prior Capitol Police Inspector General to drop all of their pending work and evaluate the Department's preparation for the January 6th Attack on the Capitol.

This resulted in a series of seven flash reports and corresponding series of hearings.

The Inspector General spent nearly seven hours in front of this committee explaining his findings and answering tough questions.

Today, I am particularly interested in implementation and the status of those recommendations.

And as I mentioned to you when we met privately, I spent 17.5 years as a 9-1-1 Dispatcher with the LAPD.

I was also in the House Gallery when the Capitol was breached on January 6.

Needless to say, I take my security and the security of the people that visit here and that work here very seriously.

Inspector General Russo and his team are subject matter experts.

You know, you are a vital partner to the Committee as we conduct our oversight.

And I am eager to hear Inspector General Russo's assessment of the current state of the Department:

What steps has the Department taken to improve its intelligence sharing capabilities, with both partner agencies and internally?

What are the officers at the top of the Department's organizational chart doing to ensure the rank and file officers are appropriately read-in to relevant intelligence assessments?

And has officer morale improved?

How has the Department changed the way it trains both new recruits and veteran officers?

And will the Department be ready if and when an event like the January 6th attack happens again?

These are just a few of the questions that I hope to have answered today.

In addition to the Committee prepared for today's proceedings, it heard from several individuals expressing concerns about the operations of the Inspector General's office.

I hope that anyone, any one of our federal employees who has experienced workplace misconduct can feel comfortable coming forward and has the appropriate tools and resources to do so.

I look forward to continuing conversations with the Inspector General to ensure that the office is held to its highest possible standard.

And while this is not the forum to address those concerns, I do expect the Committee to do so thoroughly.

Thank you, Chairman, and thank you again Mr. Russo for being here with us today.

And I yield back."

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