The Trumpists’ siege of the Capitol in Washington has revealed an interesting practice in the work of the security forces, including the Police responsible for maintaining security in the country’s Congress.
The latter was forced to dispose of its weapons in case it was necessary to use them. And it was then that those present took photos in which a very interesting piece can be seen on the guns: a red and white striped ribbon on both sides.
According to journalists Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway in an article for the Drive explained that the Capitol Police marks their weapons in a similar way to help officers quickly identify themselves and avoid incidents with friendly fire amid the chaos.
In the photos published on the internet, it is not clear which model of the pistol it is, but it is known that as of 2019 the Capitol Police used the Glock 22, which uses 40 caliber S&W cartridges.
Why Plainclothes Police Had Striped Reflective Tape On Their Glocks During The Capitol Siege https://t.co/XAb9Kr8kLk
— Joseph Trevithick (@FranticGoat) January 7, 2021
In fact, precisely that year one of the security agents inadvertently left his weapon in a bathroom of the Capitol. Since then there have been several similar cases, columnists note. So using these masking tapes helps to quickly identify lost weapons belonging to Police officers.
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If a large number of individuals violate the security of the institution, visual cues can help, Trevithick and Rogoway note.
“This would be even more true in situations where a significant number of plainclothes officers are deployed who otherwise could not be easily distinguished from the crowd,” they add.
One of these situations, in fact, could have taken place on January 7 at the Capitol. However, in the images you can also see how some agents dressed in plain clothes do not have the aforementioned ribbons.
It is possible that they belong to other federal agencies, and therefore were carrying other Glock models without the tape.
“With Vice President Mike Pence present, the US Secret Service would also have had at least some staff in the building when the incident began,” the reporters.
US agents are not the last to use these tapes on their weapons.
As can be seen in the images shared by an Internet user, Israel’s special agents use the same tactic.
Having trouble finding great pictures of them but in Israel the shin bet puts yellow tape on a lot of their guns for the same reason. pic.twitter.com/6D3PC6jboU
— Kronstein99 (@kronstein99) January 7, 2021
— Kronstein99 (@kronstein99) January 7, 2021
Yellow ribbons can be seen on their weapons on both pistols and assault rifles.