While simply being present in the insurrectionist mob outside the Capitol may not be quite as bad as being among those who actually broke into the Capitol itself, it's still participatory. The more activist insurrectionists who broke into the Capitol could not have done so without the much larger mob of accomplices pushing them and cheering them from behind.

The only way these officers may be on legally safe ground is if they merely attended the rally in front of the White House and declined to march on the Capitol. If they then marched on the Capitol, regardless of their specific involvement afterward, they are complicit in the insurrection and should, at minimum, be fired.

Furthermore, if they did march on the Capitol, they also aided and abetted the murder of a fellow police officer. I would hope their colleagues would at least consider that aspect of their reprehensible conduct...but I doubt most of them will.

There are definitely more.

You do realize we have full cell tower logs and radio long medium short range collectors, right?

Turn yourselves in now.

@1: Nah. We can responsibly draw a line between mounting the steps of the capitol with intent to get in and shouting in the public areas. No need to be vengeful. We had enough of that the past four years.

@1 Morty: Thank you for your input, Morty. I appreciate your insight regarding the SPD and police forces nationwide (I.e.: the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, MN, Black Lives Matter, etc.), knowing that you are a retired police officer with insider knowledge and experience on the force. The SPD officers who went to D.C. on January 6th should indeed be held accountable for their reprehensible conduct. Any doubt that their colleagues and superiors take action to see that justice---not mere wrist slaps like absence with pay-- is served is only further proof that our country's police departments are in dire need of an overhaul.

I'm with Washington's 7th District Congress member, Pramila Jayapal, whose own health and safety on January 6th during the insurrection was compromised. These SPD officers who attended the insurrection should be held fully accountable for their actions. They are an embarrassment to the Seattle / King County / Puget Sound region.

@2 Will in Seattle: Agreed and seconded.

@3:

Fuck that. You appeasers have been desperately pleading for "unity" ever since the election - but it's the last 5 years of you-all telling us to FUCK YOUR FEELINGS that we'll remember. You want unity? YOU make the first move, and you can start by finally, publicly admitting how completely and utterly full of shit you are.

Ladies and gentlemen: Let it be known that COMTE didn't even watch Biden's inauguration speech. It's obvious.

They shouldn't even have been at trump's little pep rally beforehand. This event was publicized as something you should bring your firearms to, which is against the law in DC. Thus, they as sworn officers of the law, participated in an illegal event. If a civilian went there without firearms, it would be OK, but - again - these are sworn officers. They can't pick and choose.

Fire them.

Accurate, @8.

And as the list grows, the need for action will too.

@8 - I did say "may" be on legally safe ground. It's a rally where the President of the United States is speaking. I don't think any court in America under any Judge, left or right, would suggest they could not attend such a rally or that the rally was itself illegal. It sickens me they would go, but I don't see how simply attending a speech by the President of the United States, no matter how despicable he may be, is grounds for termination.

No, the only act for which they could be held accountable is stepping one foot in the direction of the Capitol upon the conclusion of that rally. The Feds aren't arresting people for simply marching to the Capitol and rioting outside it; they're only going after those who entered the building. At least, that's the case so far, so I don't think they can be arrested unless they entered the building.

But they can damn well be fired. And they must be fired.

Participating in an insurrection in any capacity, or in a riot, is strong grounds for termination. Anything less than that would be a travesty and yet another black mark for SPD and a further chipping away of what little trust they may have left within the community they're supposed to be serving.

As an aside, I do believe this means that Seattle PD had more off-duty officer representation at the insurrection than any other law enforcement agency in the entire country, more than any of the other 18,000ish law enforcement agencies in the nation! So? Congratulations?

Cops are eager enough to abuse their authority when they are off-duty, like the King County deputy who pulled a gun on a motorcyclist - resulting in a $65,000 settlement (https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/12/10/36960527/motorcyclist-wins-65000-settlement-after-king-county-deputy-pulls-gun-on-him)

Any out-of area cop on the scene in DC was either an active participant or, at the very least, neglegent in some way. As law-enforcement officers, didn't they have a duty to intervene to prevent criminal activity? To assist other law enforcement on the scene? To go to the FBI immediately afterwards to help identify participants?

Keeping quiet about being at the scene of an insurrection for weeks after the fact indicates consciousness of guilt - they need to be suspended ASAP and thoroughly investigated. It's bad enough thugs with badges get more 'due process' than ordinary civilians.

Why stop with the police? Shouldn’t this extend to any city/state/county employee who attended as well? Fire them all if that is the path we want to go down. Teachers, fire fighters, administration...you get a pink slip and you get a pink slip and so on. Let the purge begin.

Cops who went into the Capitol need to be fired and prosecuted. Cops who merely attended Trump's rally were within their rights.

@16: Oh yes, now think about proving intent in a court of law.

@12

Great suggestion! Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

@14 - Simply attending a political rally in front of the White House at which the President is going to speak is within their rights, no matter how ridiculous his comments would turn out to be.

Setting off toward the Capitol is setting insurrection in motion, and those officers should be fired. And yeah, any other public employee also, but I'm only concerned with the cops at the moment, as that is what the story is addressing.

Milling around outside the Capitol cheering on the violence and insurrection should absolutely get any cop present fired.

If they actually entered into the Capitol or were physically rebuffed at another entrance that may not have been successfully breached, they should not only be fired, but they should also be turned over to the Feds for arrest and prosecution.

As our dear Divine Mrs. Catalina reminds us, the rally organizers urged participants to bring their firearms, which is illegal in the District of Columbia. Police officers who knowingly attend a rally where the organizers intend lawbreaking should be fired, full stop.

As Professor_Hiztory noted, the purpose of the rally was also to encourage rebellion and insurrection. That is Seditious Conspiracy, punishable by twenty years in federal prison. The organizers, speakers, and anyone who marched towards our Capitol afterwards should be prosecuted for Seditious Conspiracy.

Anyone who actually entered our Capitol committed Rebellion and Insurrection, punishable by ten years in federal prison, as well as Seditious Conspiracy. Send them to federal prison for thirty years.

Want a new start in America? Punish Seditious Conspiracy, Rebellion and Insurrection to the fullest extent of our laws. Then we'll start talking reconciliation, healing, and unity.

"You cant lump all of these people together" say people who spent the summer calling for every BLM protestor to be arrested or worse.

@22: How far down Pennsylvania Ave from the White House to fire them? At least afford the courtesy to those who just wanted to return to their rooms at the Trump Hotel.

@25: Leaving the rally with the intent of proceeding toward our Capitol was Seditious Conspiracy, so getting fired would be the least of their problems.

You're welcome.

@25 we should probably fire anyone who was in the District of Colombia just to be on the safe side. Due process is such a boomer thing.

@20, etc.: Several of the rioters have since begged then-President Trump for pardons. Those beggars explicitly said they understood he had directed them to march on our Capitol to stop Congress from certifying our Presidential election. That is Seditious Conspiracy.

You can keep pretending you don't understand how intent figures in determination of a crime, and we can continue laughing at you. Your choice.

Swiftress dear, see my response @8. Those cops knew what they were doing, and they were willing to break the law. That's not acceptable.

If I, a city employee, decided that I could apply charges to some people's accounts and not to other's, or gave some people a break on their utility bills just because they were my buds, I would be fired. Rightfully so. A cop attending a rally that encouraged people to break the law is the same thing.

Fire them.

Fire them.

Fire any who went on the Capitol grounds, sure, but attending a rally is not an offense.

@23 - You'll never get that argument to fly when the President of the United States himself headlines and gives his blessing to it. Wishful thinking won't change that. With his involvement, it's merely a political rally like any other, as far as the law goes. I'm simply being realistic.

Furthermore, off-duty officers are allowed to carry guns off-duty in any state or locality regardless of local law, and that appears to include DC.

Just be prepared; if they only attended the rally, nothing will happen to them. Effort should be focused on terminating those who went beyond only attending the WH rally.

@25 - One fucking step.

@33: Then you are your enemy.

Every single participant in a rally aimed at overturning the election and subverting Democracy was a participant in an insurrection that prevented the peaceful transfer of power, and therefore a traitor. Treason is not protected by the 1st Amendment. Every single one of those dirty, Fascist, cops need to be fired, and banned from every working in law enforcement again. They are a disgrace to Seattle, and to America.

@37: Ditto all the fascists smashing windows and setting fires in Seattle and Portland last night.

@39 - Well, if you consider "Fuck the police" and "Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon" free speech so you should consider "Murder all trans people" free speech as well.

Attorneys can comment whether the word 'Murder' negates free speech, but reprehensible speech is still free speech.

@32: The DC code about carrying firearms does not make any exemption for off-duty police officers from other jurisdictions. See https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/sections/22-4505.html

As Mrs. Catalina noted, the off-duty SPD officers should have known they were attending a rally where illegal behavior was openly encouraged by the organizers.

On the larger point, having the sitting President speak at the rally does not make the activities of the attendees any less illegal. As I noted @29, several of the Capitol rioters explicitly said they thought the message from the rally was for attendees to go attack our Capitol.

@38: Yes, and if anyone incited them to riot, they should suffer the same. (No one here is disputing that, so why bother bringing it up?) Also, @40, @41, please consider several attendees of the rally have explicitly stated they thought the President was telling them to attack Congress, which they then did. This isn't about free speech, it's about rebellion, insurrection, and seditious conspiracy. Every day, year after year, plenty of people in this country state opposition to what Congress is doing. Yet no one attacked Congress because of those statements. There's your free speech. Please learn the difference.

@8 & @30: Catalina Vel-DuRay and @37 Greenwood Bob for the WIN, baybee!!!
Agreed and seconded. I have nothing more to add.

@44: "... police officers who were at the Capitol but who did not do anything illegal,"

The organizers of the rally openly encouraged attendees to violate our District of Columbia's laws concerning firearms. Police officers should not attend any event where lawbreaking was explicitly encouraged. That is the issue here, and your arguments fail because your premise was not valid. They should be fired for attending an event where they had reason to believe illegal acts (carriage of firearms) would take place.

@48: "If people should be fired..."

No, persons whose jobs involve upholding our laws should not knowingly attend events where the organizers have openly advocated violating our laws. If persons whose jobs involve upholding the law knowingly attend an event where there exists a reasonable expectation of lawbreaking taking place, they should be fired.

Furthermore, the police officers in question traveled across country during a pandemic, to participate in an event with a reasonable expectation of lawbreaking, in support of the completely evidence-free claim our elections were fraudulent. I do not want persons who demonstrate such miserable decision-making skills to carry guns and badges in my city.

I recognize you do not wish to understand these points; I have stated them as completely and as plainly as possible. Finally, I'm willing to take the chance our city loses in court, should it come to that.

@50: Again, I understand you cannot be made to recognize these police officers voluntarily attended a rally where the organizers openly advocated, in advance, for lawbreaking to take place there. If you want such persons to have guns, badges, and the legal right to investigate you for as long as they like, that is your problem. I say we fire them, and see what the courts say.

Pretending this is about peaceful expression of political views will continue to get you nowhere.

@38 No, you fucking moron. Smashing corporate windows in a protest is not even remotely like what happened at the Capitol. If the Capitol Police had used half the force to contain that crowd that they use against peaceful Left-wing protestors, that mob would never have been able to enter the Capitol. Unfortunately, all police agencies are highly infiltrated by white nationalists and other stripes of fascism. So Fascists never get the same level of violence from the piggies.

Nobody is saying that these officers should be fired for attending a political rally, They have the freedom of association.

What they should be fired for is attending an rally that promoted breaking the law by bringing firearms into the District of Columbia. The police cannot be allowed to pick and choose what laws they will enforce or abide by. It's that simple.

Further, I think that great strides could be made in policing if the Police Unions got out of the business of defending officers accused of wrongdoing. There's enough protections in civil service and on the state and federal level that they should be able to fend for themselves. The union should stick to negotiating wages, benefits, and safe working conditions. Make it serve all the members, not just the bad apples. That would clean up their leadership as well.