Visitors to the U.S. Capitol will now see a permanent marker honoring the police officers who fought and were injured during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the building. Workers installed the plaque quietly around 4 a.m. EST Saturday on the Senate side of a hallway near the West Front, where the worst of the fighting occurred. The installation came more than three years after Congress passed a law requiring the plaque and roughly a month after the Senate voted unanimously to place it.
The plaque bears the inscription: '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. Their heroism will never be forgotten.' It is the first official marker of the violent day inside the Capitol. The plaque was placed without a ceremony, drawing criticism from some lawmakers who said the overnight installation minimized its significance.
What the Left Is Saying
Democrats and the officers who fought that day said the delayed installation represents an attempt to minimize recognition of Jan. 6. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the spending committee that oversees the legislative branch, said 'our Capitol Police deserve more' and called out the overnight timing. 'Make no mistake: they did this at 4AM so no one would see, no ceremony, no real recognition,' Espaillat posted on X.
Daniel Hodges of the Metropolitan Police Department, one of the officers who sued Congress over the delay, said Saturday that the lawsuit would continue. Hodges was crushed and beaten by rioters while trapped in the central west front doors, steps away from where the plaque is now displayed. He called the overnight installation a 'fine stopgap' but said it does not fully comply with the original law, which required the plaque to be placed 'on' the west front of the Capitol and to list the officers' names directly on it. 'The weight of a judicial ruling would help secure the memorial against future tampering,' Hodges said.
Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said he was pleased the plaque was 'finally in the Capitol' but noted that some Republicans had resisted its placement. 'Whether some people like it or not, the record of that day is now part of this building,' Morelle said. The lawsuit filed by Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn alleges that Congress was encouraging a 'rewriting of history' by not following the law and that 'the officers are not worthy of being recognized, because Congress refuses to recognize them.'
What the Right Is Saying
Senate Republicans who pushed for the plaque's installation emphasized honoring the officers who responded that day. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., led the recent effort and commemorated the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Senate floor in January, describing his memories of hearing people break into the building. 'We owe them eternal gratitude, and this nation is stronger because of them,' Tillis said of the officers who were overwhelmed by thousands of Trump's supporters and eventually pushed them out.
The installation followed a unanimous Senate vote in January to place the plaque on the Senate side. The effort came as former President Donald Trump returned to office and Republicans retained control of Congress. Trump has called Jan. 6 a 'day of love' and attempted to deflect blame onto Democrats and police, while many Republicans in Congress have downplayed the violence. The original law was passed in 2022 with bipartisan support but was never implemented during the prior Democratic-controlled Congress or under subsequent Republican leadership.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's office had previously said the statute authorizing the plaque was 'not implementable' and that proposed alternatives also 'do not comply.' The Justice Department has sought to dismiss the officers' lawsuit, arguing that Congress 'already has publicly recognized the service of law enforcement personnel' by approving the plaque and that displaying it would not alleviate the problems the officers claim to face.
What the Numbers Show
More than 140 officers from the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department and other agencies were injured during the Jan. 6 attack. More than 1,500 people were charged in connection with the attack, making it one of the largest federal prosecutions in U.S. history. When Trump returned to power in January 2025, he pardoned all Jan. 6 defendants within hours of taking office.
The new plaque installation includes a nearby sign with a QR code that leads to a 45-page document listing the names of thousands of officers who responded that day, rather than listing names directly on the plaque as the original law specified. The law passed in 2022 set a one-year deadline for installation, but the plaque was not erected until March 2026 — a delay of approximately three years.
The Bottom Line
The plaque's installation marks the first official recognition of Jan. 6 inside the Capitol, but disputes over its placement and completeness remain unresolved. Officers who fought that day say the current installation does not fully comply with the law, and their lawsuit continues. The overnight timing without a ceremony has drawn criticism from Democrats who say it minimizes the recognition of officers' service. What happens next with the lawsuit and whether Republicans will support additional recognition for Jan. 6 officers remains to be seen, particularly as Trump and his allies continue to contest the narrative around that day.