The January 6th Insurrection Through the Eyes of a Capital Defender

This is the account of the career of a DC cop who responded to the call for help at the nation's capital when rioters, at the instigation of former President Trump, attempted to storm the building and disrupt the formal counting of the votes of the Electoral College.

Fanone was a member of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of the District of Columbia, who worked as an undercover detective for much of his career. In the first part of the book, he reflects on his early life and what led him to become a police officer. He is clear about what he sees as the challenges and controversies of policing in America, which come through in his account of his own career and in the latter part of the book where he gives his advice on how to change things. He emphasizes how important it is that police officers remember the humanity of all those they deal with, a lesson he learned on the job through his interactions with a Black, transgender HIV-positive informant who became a friend.

The remainder of the book covers the events of January 6, 2021, and their aftermath. Fanone was off duty on that day but responded to a call for reinforcements when the Capital building was being overrun. He and his partner donned the uniforms they didn't often wear in their undercover roles, grabbed bodycams and headed to the Capital, where they proceeded to reinforce their fellow police officers trying to "hold the line" at one of the entrances to the Capital.

Fanone ended up being dragged into the middle of the insurrectionists where he was beaten with flagpoles and tased repeatedly while someone in the crowd shouted, "Kill him with his own gun." He only escaped being killed by screaming "I have kids!" which seemed to break through to some of the insurrectionists, who then pulled him back to the police line and safety.

In a televised group interview with police officers who were at the Capital on January 6th Fanone was asked what he would say to those who helped pull him out of harm. His response - "Thank you but fuck you for being there in the first place" - is the type of frank and straightforward comment for which Fanone has become known, and which has discomfited and pissed off many MAGA supporters.

Those who've been pissed off include many of his fellow police officers who, despite the events of January 6th, remain loyal to Trump. The reaction of many of his fellow officers to Fanone's decision to speak out about his experience at the Capital fed into his decision to retire early from the force. He has subsequently worked as a CNN contributor.

Before leaving the force Fanone testified before the January 6th committee, He gave a frank view into the events of the day. It's clear that without the actions of the Capital Police and the MPD officers January 6th may have turned out very differently. We owe those officers a debt of gratitude.

RATING: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

RATING COMMENTS: A quick read and an important book providing the first-hand account of the January 6th riot from the viewpoint of one of those who defended our Capital.

NOTE: Daniel Rodriquez, the man who tased Michael Fanone on January 6th, pled guilty in February 2023 and has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. On leaving his sentencing hearing Rodriquez shouted out "Trump won!" - the same lie that led him and so many others to the riot at the Capital.

WHERE I GOT MY COPY: I got the hard copy edition of this book as part of a book bundle I won in a silent auction at a local charitable event. The book bundle was provided by a local independent bookseller.