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U.S. Park Police and Secret Service to Update Protest Response Policies After Settlement

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Federal prosecutors announced that the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service will update their policies governing protests in response to a settlement related to the violent police clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square near the White House on June 1, 2020. As part of the agreement, the civil rights group Black Lives Matter D.C. and protesters who attended the demonstrations against police violence on June 1, 2020, will withdraw their claims against the federal government. The settlement comes nearly two years after protests against police brutality, including the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, led to a confrontation between law enforcement and demonstrators.

Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service will update their policies governing protests within 30 days as part of a settlement tied to the violent police clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020.
  • The updated policies will include requirements for Park Police officers to clearly display their badges and nameplates, as well as new rules governing the use of "non-lethal force" and steps for clearing protesters from public areas.
  • The Secret Service will change its policies to provide that the fact that some protesters have engaged in unlawful conduct does not ordinarily provide blanket grounds for the use of force, crowd dispersal, or declaration of unlawful assembly.
  • Black Lives Matter D.C. and protesters who attended the demonstrations on June 1, 2020, will withdraw their claims against the federal government as part of the settlement.
  • The settlement does not address the identities of individuals who withdrew their claims or the number of individuals involved.
  • The inspector general of the Interior Department found that the clearing of the park was not deliberately planned for former President Donald Trump's visit to St. John's Church.
  • Park Police officers used heavy-handed tactics, including shields as weapons, but did not receive clear instructions to clear the park from their superiors, according to witnesses.
  • House Natural Resources Committee is still investigating the events of June 1, 2020, and has seen video footage of peaceful protesters being intimidated, attacked, and assaulted by officers of the federal government.
  • The Park Police recently named Pamela Smith, a Black woman and a veteran of the department, to lead it in 2021.

Statistics:

  • 30 days: The time period within which the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service will update their policies governing protests as part of the settlement.
  • June 1, 2020: The date of the violent police clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square, which sparked the settlement.
  • 2021: The year the Park Police named Pamela Smith, a Black woman, to lead the department.
  • 2020: The year the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis led to widespread protests and a confrontation between law enforcement and demonstrators.

Sources:

  • CQ News (2022): "U.S. Park Police and Secret Service to Update Protest Response Policies After Settlement"

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