Courage Under Fire: The Untold Story of January 6th Series Preview
In this special preview episode of Heroes Behind the Badge, we introduce a groundbreaking three-part series featuring former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund's first interview since his congressional exoneration. Chief Sund reveals shocking details about the events of January 6th, 2021, including:
- The overwhelming odds his officers faced - 30,000 protesters against just 273 officers
- Critical decisions made during 71 minutes of desperate calls for backup
- Previously unreported details about the military's delayed response
- The impact of political interference on law enforcement operations
- The true story of how 1,700 officers from 17 agencies came together to defend democracy
Chief Sund shares how his officers maintained remarkable restraint despite facing brutal violence, and offers a compelling glimpse into the leadership challenges of one of the most scrutinized days in American law enforcement history.
This episode also introduces Heroes Behind the Badge, a new podcast dedicated to sharing the real stories of America's law enforcement professionals. Hosted by Craig Floyd, whose 34-year career supporting law enforcement brings unmatched credibility to these crucial conversations, each episode will bring you behind the scenes with the brave men and women who protect our communities.
Join us next week for Part 1 of our exclusive interview with Chief Sund, where we'll dive deep into the days leading up to January 6th and the critical decisions that shaped law enforcement's response.
Subscribe now to Heroes Behind the Badge on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Transcript
Dennis Collins: Welcome to Heroes Behind the Badge.
Speaker:We bring you the real stories of America's law enforcement professionals.
Speaker:Our founder and CEO, Craig Floyd, he never planned to start this organization, but
Speaker:something happened that made him realize he could not stay silent.
Speaker:No one has worked longer or harder than Craig Floyd to support law enforcement.
Speaker:Today we're bringing you something unprecedented.
Speaker:For the first time since he was exonerated, you'll hear the real story of
Speaker:January 6th from the man who led law enforcement's response that day.
Chief Sund:For me, it was telling the story of what really happened in the days and weeks leading
Chief Sund:up to January 6th, on January 6th, and then in the fallout that occurred after it.
Chief Sund:Agencies live and die on their, um, leadership.
Chief Sund:And I wrote this to really help the leadership.
Chief Sund:Eventually someone's going to take this and look and see how political
Chief Sund:influences can affect you, the importance of relationships, mutual aids.
Dennis Collins:In our conversation with former U.
Dennis Collins:S.
Dennis Collins:Capitol Police Chief Stephen Sund, he revealed shocking details about what really
Dennis Collins:happened that day, starting with the impossible odds his officers faced.
Chief Sund:At one point, they counted 30, 000 people on the West Front on January 6th.
Chief Sund:And then at 12:53, as we're dealing with that, somebody looks up and says,
Chief Sund:Chief, there's a large crowd of people approaching our West Front.
Chief Sund:I look up and I literally see hundreds of people coming across.
Chief Sund:The Maryland Avenue, um, uh, circle up toward the, uh, West Front and then the Peace Circle by Pennsylvania
Chief Sund:Avenue coming up toward the, uh, the West Front, um, and immediately became confrontational with my officers.
Chief Sund:And that's when I knew there's a couple of key things that I knew were bad.
Chief Sund:One, The fact that, like most protests, they'll come up and they'll start chanting
Chief Sund:and yelling and screaming and then eventually you might start pulling on the fence.
Chief Sund:This happened rather quickly.
Chief Sund:They started grabbing at the fence, yanking at the fence, and then striking at my officers.
Chief Sund:Dennis Collins: But that was just the beginning.
Chief Sund:As the situation became critical, Chief Sund made call after call, desperately trying to get help for his officers.
Chief Sund:And then at 12:58, I made my first call to the Capitol Police Board, the two Sergeant Arms.
Chief Sund:Requesting permission to bring in those resources that by law I have to ask permission to bring in think
Chief Sund:about it It would take 71 minutes 11 repeated calls to them before I finally got approval So, you
Chief Sund:know anybody that thinks well, why why would they deny it on on the third when you ask it in advance?
Chief Sund:Why would they deny it while we're under attack?
Chief Sund:The attack was occurring right at stinger's window right outside his window and I still it took 71
Chief Sund:minutes Repeated calls for them to finally approve my request to bring in resources.
Chief Sund:Dennis Collins: You know, we hadn't really heard how close did it come, and apparently it was pretty close.
Chief Sund:Chief Sund: It was.
Chief Sund:It was maybe, maybe 15 yards.
Chief Sund:And you needed to realize when the attack began at 12:53, that's almost two hours.
Chief Sund:Two hours that these officers are hearing over the radio that this crowd's getting closer, closer, and closer.
Chief Sund:Uh, and, uh, 100%, the, uh, the evacuation of the House and Senate should have been called much quicker.
Chief Sund:Uh, but needless to say, um, getting closer and closer and closer, and now,
Chief Sund:almost two hours later, you have literally the last physical barrier is being breached.
Chief Sund:Dennis Collins: While his officers fought to protect the Capitol and Congress, Chief Sun found
Chief Sund:himself fighting a different battle, one against politics and bureaucracy.
Chief Sund:This is a life and death situation, I need National Guard assistance as quickly as
Chief Sund:possible to help re secure the perimeter, exactly what I wanted to do.
Chief Sund:And that's when Walter Piot responds, I don't like the optics of the National Guard.
Chief Sund:That's the second time I've heard the term optics.
Chief Sund:I don't like the optics of the National Guard standing in line with the Capitol in the background.
Chief Sund:And he starts saying, I'd rather relieve your officers off posts so they can get in the fight.
Chief Sund:I tell him, I said, I don't have that option.
Chief Sund:Every one of my officers is in the fight.
Chief Sund:And he's like, well, you know, I don't like the optics.
Chief Sund:We keep going back and forth.
Chief Sund:And he keeps recommending that he relieve my officers.
Chief Sund:And I said, sir, you don't realize my officers are all in the fight.
Chief Sund:I don't have officers out there on traffic posts.
Chief Sund:They're all in the fight.
Chief Sund:And he responds, and I will never forget this.
Chief Sund:My recommendation is not to support your request.
Chief Sund:I remember Robert Conte as he said, hold on a second.
Chief Sund:You're denying the request from the Capitol police chief.
Chief Sund:And again, Walter Piat says the same thing is I'm not denying it.
Chief Sund:I just don't like the optics.
Chief Sund:2:43 PM.
Chief Sund:We now have a shooting inside the Capitol.
Chief Sund:You know the Pentagon wasn't sending me resources, but you know what they were doing?
Chief Sund:They were sending resources to secure General's homes that weren't even under attack.
Chief Sund:So think about that.
Chief Sund:2:43, I hang up the phone call.
Chief Sund:I'm thinking, I got no idea what, what's going to happen.
Chief Sund:I didn't get any results from that.
Chief Sund:Uh, it wouldn't be until 5:44 p.
Chief Sund:m.
Chief Sund:that the 1st Cadre and National Guard showed up.
Chief Sund:And at that point, I didn't even need them anymore.
Chief Sund:I'd called in 17 law enforcement agencies, 1, 700 police officers had responded to my call for assistance.
Chief Sund:Police officers from as far away as New Jersey State Police responded to my request.
Chief Sund:Uh, and arrived at the, uh, Capitol before the National Guard, D.
Chief Sund:C.
Chief Sund:National Guard, which were within eyesight.
Chief Sund:Think about that.
Chief Sund:Dennis Collins: Join us for a three part conversation with former U.
Chief Sund:S.
Chief Sund:Capitol Police Chief Stephen Sund to discuss his best selling book, Courage Under Fire.
Chief Sund:Chief Sund: The political oversight and the political
Chief Sund:involvement in security on Capitol Hill has got to stop.
Chief Sund:Um, the Capitol Police Board, you have three, I mentioned the three people, uh, House and Senate Sergeant Arms,
Chief Sund:the Architect of the Capitol, all three politically appointed people, all three, uh, catering to their, Uh, whoever put
Chief Sund:them in, in, in position, uh, to make sure that they're making decisions that'll, that'll please them.
Chief Sund:That's, that's a big problem.
Chief Sund:Dennis Collins: Join us next week for part one of Courage Under Fire, the Stephen Son story.
Chief Sund:You'll hear how the events of January 6th really unfolded, the
Chief Sund:crucial decisions made that day, and the price paid by the men and women.
Chief Sund:Who protected our democracy.
Chief Sund:Subscribe now to Heroes Behind the Badge, wherever you get your podcasts.
