LAUREL, Md. — Six hundred officers from nearly 20 law enforcement agencies took part in one of the largest riot-response drills in the country on Friday, sharpening coordination and tactics as threats to lawmakers climb toward a record high in 2025.
The exercise, staged at a Secret Service training complex and led by the U.S. Capitol Police, used realistic scenarios to test multiagency responses to violent protests and threats against elected officials. In one simulated incident, protesters boxed in a vehicle and pounded on its windows until a tactical team in full riot gear surged in, opened the doors and extracted a passenger playing the role of a lawmaker. In another scene, officers isolated and arrested a man in the crowd who had been identified as armed.
Officials said the drills reflect lessons learned from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which exposed gaps in communication, command and control among federal and local agencies that must operate alongside one another in the Washington area. The training was intended to improve those joint responses, from crowd control and tactical extraction to arrest procedures and weapons interdiction.
Participants included officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and Secret Service, as well as numerous local police and sheriff’s departments. Command-post exercises and field scenarios tested how officers would identify threats, isolate armed individuals within crowds, secure elected officials and coordinate arrests while managing large and volatile demonstrations.
The increased emphasis on joint training comes as federal and congressional security officials report a surge in threats and hostile activity targeting members of Congress. Law enforcement agencies and Capitol security officials say 2025 is on track to bring more threats against lawmakers than any year in U.S. history, prompting expanded protective measures and more frequent interagency exercises.
That shift has pushed federal agencies into more sustained operational roles alongside local law enforcement, requiring clearer lines of communication and shared protocols for managing civil unrest. Exercising those protocols in simulated high-pressure situations is intended to reduce the risk of the kinds of security breakdowns seen on Jan. 6 and to ensure rapid, coordinated responses when real threats emerge.
Organizers emphasized realism in the drill to measure how officers respond under stress, how quickly they can extract a protected person, and how they neutralize armed suspects amid chaotic crowds. Law enforcement leaders said after-action reviews would identify strengths and gaps and inform future training and operational planning.
The training follows a broader nationwide push to bolster security at federal facilities and protect public officials amid a period of heightened political polarization and protest activity. While officials have publicly noted the rise in threats, they have also said that multiagency preparation and clearer operational roles can mitigate risks to lawmakers and the public.
Officials did not release detailed operational findings from Friday’s exercises, citing security concerns. They said, however, that similar large-scale drills would continue as agencies work to adapt to rapidly changing threat dynamics and ensure the safety of elected officials, staff and the public.