Understanding the Strength of Capitol Hill's Security Team

The Capitol Police force was tested Thursday, giving chase to a driver who ran into a security checkpoint and hit an officer. In the 1998 attack, a lone gunman with a history of mental illness entered a first-floor entrance of the Capitol with tourists, then burst through a security checkpoint, shot and killed two officers, and bolted into nearby offices of then-House Republican Whip Tom DeLay. The Capitol complex that includes the House and Senate office buildings, and the nearby Supreme Court and Library of Congress, has become a labyrinth of jersey barriers, blocked-off streets and building entrances, and traffic checkpoints. The Capitol Visitor Center, constructed and officially opened in December 2008 under the East Front plaza, now serves as the security screening funnel for visitors to the Capitol.

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