Regional officials set safety measures, chide Capitol Police on breach response

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam extended emergency orders Thursday, a day after dozens of pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Miss Bowser extended her state of emergency order through Inauguration Day, authorizing her office to implement restrictions on businesses and request federal reimbursement for expenses sustained by the city government.

Mr. Northam extended his state of emergency order until Feb. 15 for the city of Alexandria and Arlington County. He also extended the Virginia National Guard’s deployment to the D.C. area through Jan. 20.

Meanwhile, Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy announced that a 7-foot-high, non-scalable fence was being erected Thursday around the Capitol. It will run along Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue and First Avenue to the road near the pond in front of the Capitol and will be in place “for no less than 30 days,” he said.

Mr. McCarthy also said that 6,200 National Guard troops from the District and nearby states will be deployed throughout the city during that period.

The Army secretary said during a press conference that when the U.S. Capitol Police called the Pentagon about the breach on Wednesday, they “quickly worked to move our resources forward in support of Metro P.D. and the Capitol Police.”

A mob breached the barriers and doors of the Capitol during a joint session of Congress in which lawmakers were certifying the Electoral College results of the presidential election. The Capitol was locked down, and some lawmakers were evacuated as protesters ransacked offices and chambers.

One protester — Ashli Babbitt, 35, of San Diego — was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer who has been placed on administrative leave.

Three others — Benjamin Philips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Roseanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia — died of medical conditions, Metropolitan Police said.

Police arrested at least 68 people Wednesday.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that he was “repeatedly denied approval” to deploy state National Guard troops to assist at the Capitol.

“I was actually on the phone with [House Majority Leader Steny H.] Hoyer, who was pleading with us to send the Guard. He was yelling across the floor to [Senate Minority Leader Charles E.] Schumer, saying ’we do have the authorization,’ and I’m saying ’we don’t have authorization,’” Mr. Hogan said at a press conference.

He said that Maryland Guard troops were the first out-of-state law enforcers to arrive Wednesday at the Capitol. Guard troops and state troopers from Virginia also were sent, as well as officers from the New Jersey State Police, according to D.C. officials.

About 340 unarmed members of the D.C. National Guard had been activated before the protest, but the entire unit eventually was deployed after the Capitol was breached and lawmakers were hiding inside.

Miss Bowser called on Congress to form a committee to investigate the “catastrophic” security failures at the Capitol and to transfer command of the D.C. National Guard to the mayor following the “domestic terrorism” at the Capitol.

The D.C. unit is the only National Guard outfit among the states and territories that cannot be activated by local authorities. It reports directly to the president, via the secretary of defense and the secretary of the Army.

Only the Metropolitan Police Department, which helped quell Wednesday’s insurrection, is under the mayor’s authority. The D.C. National Guard, the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Park Police are under federal authority.

• Jeff Mordock contributed to this report.