Jan. 6 Plaque Honoring Police Quietly Installed in Capitol at 4 A.M. After Years of GOP Delay

Jan. 6 Plaque Honoring Police Quietly Installed in Capitol at 4 A.M. After Years of GOP Delay A bill passed by Congress in March 2022 mandated that the plaque be installed within a year, with Democrats blaming House Speaker Mike Johnson for stalling the process By Paloma Chavez Paloma Chavez Paloma Chavez is a staff writer on PEOPLE's current events team. Before joining PEOPLE, she worked for McClatchy's real-time team covering breaking news, crime, and internet culture. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 9, 2026 04:45PM EDT 4 Comments Credit : Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty NEED TO KNOW A plaque honoring the law enforcement agencies who responded to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, was installed without ceremony in the middle of the night after a three-year delayLegislation passed by Congress in March 2022 mandated that the plaque be installed within a year, though it was reportedly stalled under the leadership of House Speaker Mike Johnson, according to Democrats“I never thought honoring police officers would be this controversial,” said former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who sued the Architect of the Capitol for failing to meet the deadline, in a new interview with The Washington Post A plaque honoring law enforcement officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was quietly installed on Saturday, March 7, after a three-year delay. “On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021,” the plaque reads. “Their heroism will never be forgotten." Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now! The installation wasn’t announced, had no ceremony and no camera crews were present, The Washington Post reported. Instead, it was bolted to a wall by Capitol staffers at 4 a.m. near an entrance on the west side that is not open to the public, the outlet reported. A plaque honoring the various law enforcement organization that responded to the January 6 riot in Washington DC. Samuel Corum/Getty The plaque was supposed to have been hung in the Capitol by mid-March 2023, a year after Congress signed legislation that mandated its installation. Democrats have blamed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson for its delay, according to the Post. The plaque lists the several local police departments and federal agencies that responded to the chaos and violence that day. Next to the plaque is a QR code that leads to a file with the names of individual officers who were present. Related Stories Jan. 6 Rioter Pardoned by Trump Now Sentenced to Life in Prison for Child Sex Crimes, Including Molesting Children The Capitol Riots, 1 Year Later: Witnesses Remember the Nightmare — and What Comes Next Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, he and his administration have downplayed the events of Jan. 6. One of his first actions after being sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 2025, was to pardon more than 1,000 rioters who were charged in connection to the attack. U.S. Capitol Police scuffle with demonstrators after they broke through security fencing outside of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn sued the Architect of the Capitol to have the congressional memorial installed and, according to federal court records, “to honor the women and men who saved the lives of those inside the building, and to ensure that the history of this attack on the Capitol and on democracy is not forgotten.” Reached by the Post for comment on Saturday, Dunn said he was happy to hear that the plaque had been hung, but still questioned whether its placement matches what the legislation called for. “I never thought honoring police officers would be this controversial,” he told the paper. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which handles the chamber’s administrative functions, celebrated the newly installed plaque in a post on X, saying, “Speaker Johnson may have tried to bury the January 6 plaque, but it’s finally in the Capitol. We fought hard to permanently honor the law enforcement officers who defended us and this institution during a deadly riot incited by the President.” Close Leave a Comment Read more: Politics