U.S. Capitol Cops’ Guns Left In Bathrooms, One Found By Child

In the U.S. Capitol, cops’ guns left in a bathroom stall and other locations were found by at least one child, and lawmakers are very upset how often this has been happening in 2015.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, when teenage girls started brawling in a park, one man responded by whipping out his gun to break up the fight, and this was caught on video.

On January 29, 2015, “a member of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s security detail left his Glock and magazine stuffed in the toilet seat cover holder of a Capitol Visitor Center bathroom stall.” Then on March 24, 2015, another loaded gun was left by a dignitary protection officer in the bathroom of the suite used by House Speaker John Boehner. This gun was found by a 7- or 8-year-old child. The third incident involving U.S. Capital cops’ guns occurred on April 16, 2015, and a janitor found another loaded Glock out in plain sight in the Capitol Police headquarters.

The Capitol Police Board’s Office of Professional Responsibility recommended six days of suspension without pay for the first incident where Capitol cops guns were left loaded and unattended in areas where the public could potentially reach them. The other two incidents are still being investigated, but the young boy’s discovery of the weapon near John Boehner’s office is considered the more serious of the two.

House Administration Committee Chairwoman Candice Miller and Ranking Member Robert Brady both released a statement that condemned the fact that U.S. Capitol cops’ guns had been left out in easy reach.

“The fact that dangerous weapons were left in the open, potentially within reach of the general public, is unacceptable,” they said according to Fox News. “We will be looking for a full briefing on these incidents, how they happened, what corrective action has been taken, and how we hopefully do not have similar instances in the future.”

According to a report by Roll Call, the U.S. Capitol police will continue to investigate, but they are not releasing the name of the cops who left their guns out in public.

“The Department takes very seriously all breaches of Department rules and has established policies that address such matters,” said Lt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokeswoman. “Each disciplinary matter is thoroughly investigated and reviewed, employees are held accountable for their conduct, and they are provided due process in adjudicating these matters. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the violation, an employee’s record, and other ?required considerations, an appropriate penalty is applied, up to and including termination of employment. As a matter of policy, the Department does not routinely discuss internal personnel matters, in order to maintain the integrity of the Department.”

[Image via Roll Call]