A permanent Capitol plaque commemorating the law enforcement officers who defended the building during the January 6 United States Capitol attack was quietly installed early Saturday morning following years of delays.
The plaque was placed in a hallway near the Capitol’s West Front, where some of the most intense clashes between police and rioters occurred during the attack.
“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.”
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The installation marks the first official physical memorial inside the Capitol acknowledging the violent events of that day.
Senate moved forward after House delay
The effort to install the plaque gained momentum earlier this year when Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, pushed for action around the fifth anniversary of the attack.
Tillis secured unanimous Senate approval in January to place the plaque on the Senate side of the Capitol after Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, delayed installing it.
“We owe them eternal gratitude, and this nation is stronger because of them,” Tillis said when introducing the resolution.
Congress originally mandated the plaque in a 2022 law that required it to be installed within one year. That deadline passed without the memorial being placed.
Attack injured more than 140 officers
On January 6, 2021, thousands of supporters of Donald Trump forced their way into the Capitol as Congress met to certify the 2020 presidential election results.
The crowd, echoing Trump’s false claims that the election had been stolen from him by Joe Biden, overwhelmed police, breached security lines and temporarily halted the certification process.
More than 140 officers from the United States Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, and other agencies were injured while defending the building.
Lawsuit from officers continues
Despite the plaque’s installation, legal challenges over the memorial are still ongoing.
Two officers who responded to the attack, Daniel Hodges of the Metropolitan Police Department and former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, filed a lawsuit arguing Congress failed to comply with the law requiring the plaque.
Hodges, who was crushed and beaten by rioters while trapped in a doorway near where the plaque now stands, said the overnight installation was only a partial solution.
The law called for the plaque to be mounted directly on the Capitol’s West Front and to list the names of officers who responded.
Instead, the newly installed marker includes a QR code linking to a 45 page document listing the thousands of officers involved in the response.
“The weight of a judicial ruling would help secure the memorial against future tampering,” Hodges said, adding that the lawsuit will continue.
Political debate over recognition
The plaque’s quiet installation, reportedly around 4 a.m., drew criticism from some Democrats who said the lack of a public ceremony minimized recognition of the officers’ actions.
Adriano Espaillat, a New York Democrat who helps oversee funding for the legislative branch, said the officers deserved greater acknowledgment.
“Make no mistake: they did this at 4AM so no one would see, no ceremony, no real recognition,” Espaillat wrote on social media.
Still, other lawmakers welcomed the long-delayed marker.
Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said he was pleased the plaque had finally been placed.
“Whether some people like it or not, the record of that day is now part of this building,” Morelle said.
Ongoing fallout from January 6
More than 1,500 people were charged in connection with the Capitol attack, making it one of the largest federal prosecutions in U.S. history.
After returning to the White House in 2025, Trump issued sweeping pardons to all defendants linked to the attack within hours of taking office.
Officers who responded that day say they continue to face threats and harassment from some Trump supporters who dispute their accounts of the violence.
Hodges and Dunn said the government’s delayed recognition has compounded the emotional toll from the events of January 6.
The lawsuit states that both officers still live with psychological injuries from the attack and argues that properly honoring those who defended the Capitol is essential to preserving the historical record.
