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National Guard Troops Arriving at Capitol to Help Provide Security

WASHINGTON (AP) - The first National Guard troops were scheduled to start providing security at the Capitol Thursday evening, part of an effort to spell police who have been working long shifts ever since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Capitol Police spokesman Lt. Dan Nichols said about 10 troops would initially take posts on streets around the perimeter of the Capitol complex, helping direct traffic and inspect trucks. Eventually, about 100 will be working, divided among three shifts around the clock.

The Guard's presence will mark the first time troops have protected the Capitol since the city's riots of 1968. The only other times soldiers guarded the building were during riots by World War I veterans in 1932 and the Civil War.

Congressional leaders have been reluctant to post troops in or near the Capitol and its office buildings. They have worried it would create a perception that the government is under assault, and could produce some uncomfortable situations when soldiers not used to handling constituents and tourists confront such visitors.

But the Capitol Police's 1,295 officers have been working six-day weeks of at least 12 hours daily for more than two months. All their leave has been canceled, and plans to give them training in anti-terrorism tactics have been postponed indefinitely.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001