After the previous day’s unprecedented riots, workers beefed up temporary fencing around the U.S. Capitol Complex Jan. 7. Federal officials say the fence will remain in place for 30 days. The bedlam that left five people dead—including a Capitol police officer—after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building also prompted some pundits and security experts to call for a permanent barricade around the nation’s most visible symbol of democracy.
Permanent security measures installed on and around the Capitol, to date, are mostly designed to balance safety and accessibility for the compound’s various buildings and grounds. “It’s a beacon for the United States, it represents all of our ideals, but at the same time we’re trying to make sure they can continue their function,” says Peggy Van Eepoel, senior principal and a security specialist at Thornton Tomasetti, and its Washington,, D.C. director.