Norton Says Response to Gyrocopter Incident Must Maintain Balance Between Security Concerns and Public Access

WASHINGTON, D.C.—After a man, Dough Hughes, landed a gyrocopter on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol yesterday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, today warned against an overreaction by security officials and urged collaboration between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and security officials for a proper investigation before rushing to judgment about "answers." Norton said security officials, particularly at the White House and the U.S. Capitol, will need to be better prepared for what were once unforeseeable events, such as last month's drone incident at the White House and yesterday's gyrocopter incident at the Capitol. These incidents offer a valuable opportunity to study, learn, and prepare for more serious aerial security threats, such as the possible landing with an explosive chemical weapon or by a suicide terrorist attack.

"The gyrocopter incident yesterday was not a serious threat to the security of the nation's capital," Norton said. "If it had been, I am confident that Doug Hughes would likely not have lived to tell the tale. Surely the first remedy is deterrence and prevention, such as making sure that Hughes is held accountable to the full extent of the law. Crashing into a broken Congress will not fix it, so do not try it. It is easy to laugh this incident off as you hear Hughes describe the reasons behind his actions, but this is not a laughing issue. Without intending to assist security balance at the Capitol, Hughes has provided a serious practical drill and case study for security officials, not a basis for closing down the grounds around the Capitol, which must be avoided at all costs. The reaction of panic or immediate remedies must be avoided, and replaced with some common-sense solutions, such as increased policing and surveillance while the cause and response to low-level flying objects are determined. Security officials have done a commendable job of protecting the Capitol and the monumental core since 9/11, but we had to work very hard to get the appropriate balance of both openness and security. I do not intend to go through that process again now because a new type of intruder is facing the nation's capital."

Norton wants Congress or the administration to implement her United States Commission on an Open Society with Security Act, which would establish a commission of experts from a broad spectrum of disciplines to investigate how to maintain democratic traditions of openness and access while responding adequately to the substantial security threats posed by terrorism. Members of the commission must come from varying fields and groups, among them: security, architecture, technology, sociology, psychology, the military, city planning, business, engineering, and history. Norton urged government agencies take that type of approach in considering any changes to address security.