Capitol Police officers misplaced their loaded guns in plain sight on at least three separate occasions, including once when a small child found the weapon, according to a Roll Call analysis of a Capitol Police Board report.
One officer assigned to protect Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) left his gun in a toilet seat cover holder in a bathroom stall in the Capitol Visitor Center in January, according to the paper.
{mosads}Another assigned to the detail of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) left a firearm in the bathroom of the Speaker’s suite, where a 7- or 8-year-old visiting child discovered the gun. The Glock pistol left by Boehner’s detail does not have a traditional locking mechanism and could still be fired when left out, Roll Call reported.
A janitor found the third pistol out in the Capitol Police headquarters, according to the paper.
The report on the January incident reportedly shows that police brass recommended a six-day suspension without pay for the officer from McConnell’s detail as punishment, but Roll Call reports that the other two incidents are still under investigation.
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel declined to comment on the incidents, referring questions to Capitol Police.
“The Department takes very seriously all breaches of Department rules and has established policies that address such matters,” Lt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokeswoman, told Roll Call in an email.
“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.”
The offices of McConnell and Boehner did not issue a comment to the paper.
Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine submitted a letter of resignation earlier this month, according to multiple media reports. But the Capitol Police Board has not publicly said whether it would accept the letter, according to Roll Call.
Dine received a grilling on Capitol Hill Wednesday during a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing over a man flying a gyrocopter landing outside the capitol building earlier this month.