Responding to a 911 call about a man carrying a gun in his waistband near the Russell Senate Office Building, Capitol Police briefly stopped a retired officer from another law enforcement agency Thursday afternoon. After the officer’s credentials were verified, he was released, according to the department.  

Around 4 p.m., with the House debating the rule for contentious trade legislation, the Senate focused on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act and many members looking ahead to the annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game, vehicles from the Metropolitan Police Department and Capitol Police converged on Upper Senate Park. The retired officer was picked up by Capitol Police near the Robert A. Taft Memorial, after a 911 caller reported seeing a black male with a gun in the waistband of his shorts at 400 Delaware Ave. NE, according to a source with knowledge of the incident.  

Capitol Police patrol units monitoring MPD radio traffic heard the dispatch and located the man. By 4:09 p.m., after verifying the man was authorized to carry a handgun, police started to clear the scene.

It was a quick apprehension, thanks to coordination between the two police agencies.

Recognizing that close coordination is a necessity to the safety of Capitol Hill community, House lawmakers inserted language to address the issue on the fiscal 2016 spending bill that includes Capitol Police.

The House Appropriations Committee directed the department to provide a report within 120 days of the bill’s enactment detailing the standards of operations in place to coordinate responses, specifically at Metro stations. Lawmakers want to know how Capitol Police plan to coordinate with the MPD, the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, federal law enforcement and “any other relevant first responders” from D.C.

The MPD did not immediately respond to a phone call and message at its press office.

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