WASHINGTON – Inauguration Day Jan. 20 was a day Americans saw many firsts, including the first time several police officers from Wildwood Police Department were part of the security team protecting the event. It was the second time Middle Township Police Department participated.
Six officers from each department traveled to the Capitol to help Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department secure the presidential motorcade route.
According to one officer, who was part of the police detail at the 2017 inauguration and this year’s event, the riots at the Capitol Jan. 6 “changed everything. The level of security was truly a sight to see.”
“This year was very different from the last inauguration. It had a very different feel to it,” said Sgt. Brian Murphy, Middle Township Police Department. “There was no crowd along the motorcade route; last time, it was a parade route with lots of people. Security was significantly different, with more than 25,000 troops and police officers there.
“At the briefings prior to Jan. 6, we were focused mostly on Covid restrictions and protocols,” he continued. “We had online training and briefings, but Jan. 6 changed everything.”
Sgt. David Holman, a 16-year veteran with the Wildwood Police Department, admitted he and his team were “a little bit concerned” about what they might face when they got to their stations, within the inner perimeter along Pennsylvania Avenue and 6th Street.
“There were a lot of checkpoints, so you weren’t even getting close to the Capitol without being checked out,” he said. “If you lived within the perimeter, there were certain times you were allowed to get to your home. We were told to have our heads on a swivel to keep an eye on everything.”
Bridges between Virginia and downtown Washington were closed.
“We also were told the Metro Police received a lot of bomb threats all day, and we saw and heard some protestors, but no one antagonized us or bothered us,” Holman added. “It (the Jan. 6 riots) was in the back of our mind, but the inauguration was uneventful, and we are happy for that. We had a job to do and did it, and glad we were able to.”
Murphy, who’s been on Middle Township’s police force for 10 years, said there were no tense moments during the day, calling it “a memorable experience as an American.”
He and his team were stationed at Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues, within sight of the Capitol, where they were able to see the president, vice president, their families, and limited crowd members.
He said the nearly 200,000 American and state flags that filled the National Mall representing those who could not attend the event was “pretty impressive.
“Last time, when I volunteered the first time for this duty, I thought, as an American citizen, it was truly an honor to witness a peaceful transition of power,” Murphy said. “I wanted to volunteer again because it is quite an experience to have.”
Holman agreed, noting he also volunteered to have the opportunity to work with another police department and see how they operate, and to keep people safe. “You don’t have many opportunities like this,” he said.
All 12 officers volunteered for the duty, according to their chiefs, who said the Metropolitan Police Department put out the call for assistance before the election was held.
Attending from Middle Township were Murphy, Detective Kurt Saettler, and Patrolmen Tom Ritterhoff, Jonas McInnis, Tom Runyon, and Blake Martindale. From Wildwood, Holman and Patrolmen Matt Donnelly, San Stango, Andrew Kolimaga, Charles Byrd, and Conor Cormican attended.
Holman called the swearing-in by the U.S. Marshals the evening of Jan. 18 “memorable because you realize what you are there for.
“We have limited powers of arrest,” he explained. “The day before the inauguration, we drove around the route with our D.C. department liaison. I think the actual route changed while we were out there, in fact.”
They stood in the cold, wind, and sometimes rain for nearly 15 hours. From their station about a block from the motorcade route, Holman said, they saw about 20 buses head to the Capitol, followed by a motorcade that possibly carried the new president.
“We watched online on our phones every so often to know what was going on,” he said, “and finally got back to the hotel about 5 p.m. Overall, it was a good experience.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.
