ROCKVILLE, Md. — Montgomery County Police Department officers were honored by the county council on Tuesday for their service to protect the country's democracy on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
On Jan. 6, 2020, dozens of pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol threatening the nation's democracy and putting the lives of congressional leaders at risk. It was reported that law enforcement officers were outnumbered by the crowd and many officers from outside jurisdictions were called to help.
According to Montgomery County Police Chief Jones, D.C. Police Acting Chief Contee called on members of MCPD to partner with MPD and Capitol Police to keep D.C. safe.
MCPD's Special Events Response Team officers responded to the insurrection and were one of the first teams to report to the incident, officials said.
Montgomery County Council Vice-President Gabe Albornoz said during the siege, their members were spat on, abused and one of their officers was even struck in the head and got a concussion. As of Tuesday, the officer who suffered a concussion is still out of work, Chief Jones said.
"I was truly inspired by the heroic efforts of the Montgomery County Police Department as they do every day-- try to step forward and protect and serve our entire community and on that day, our very democracy," Albornoz said.
Each officer that was deployed to D.C. to help law enforcement during the violent attack on Jan. 6, individually received a certificate of thanks for their service on behalf of the county council, said Tom Hucker, Montgomery County Council President.
The council also signed a proclamation Tuesday to officially honor the officers who served and risked their safety to assist federal officers, to ensure the safety of congressional leaders and to help preserve our democracy, "Let it be known that their bravery is honored...," the proclamation stated.