The union representing the Capitol Police’s rank-and-file officers is getting set to vote Thursday on whether acting Chief Yogananda Pittman and five other members of the department’s leadership are fit to serve their fellow officers after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
If the no confidence vote is successful, it would send a message to the department and the public that more than 1,000 union officers want new leadership, Roll Call reports.
Pittman, Assistant Chief Chad Thomas, acting Assistant Chief Sean Gallagher, Deputy Chief Timothy Bowen, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Pickett and Deputy Chief Eric Waldow are the leadership officials who are the subjects of the referendum.
The Capitol Police Union’s Executive Board said it “has taken this unprecedented step after reviewing senior leadership’s handling of the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol.”
Pittman took command of the department on Jan. 8 when then-Chief Steven Sund resigned after mounting pressure from Congress. Officer Gus Papathanasiou, the union chairman, said there needs to be more sweeping change at the top due to the gravity of the failures on Jan. 6.
