# Unidentified troops on streets of DC **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 5, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086 "2020-06-05T03:42:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Turki-lurki](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turki-lurki/32/7168_2.png) [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/1 "2020-06-05T03:42:15Z")
What are we to make of the ‘unlabeled’ troops deployed in Washington DC streets? They wear no insignia, badges or name tags. They are heavily armed, but apparently some are wearing dirty sneakers and underarmor shirts! Can the arrest you? If they assault you cam you strike back? (Not necessarily with physical impunity- they are in groups and armed.) Most importantly, why don’t people know who they are? He mayor has no clue. The troops don’t answer. Somebody should get their butt kicked for letting this happen on U.S. Soil. Rizzo’s statue just got pulled down because he supported this kind of thuggery. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/2 "2020-06-05T05:06:08Z")
I heard on CNN there were a group of Prison guards from Texas. Could that be them? I never could pick apart all the Nat’l guard soldiers, police and regular army. Except when I saw the Army camo. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/3 "2020-06-05T10:58:24Z")
Appears to me to be an attempt at creating a secret police or President’s mercenary force – unmarked, anonymous security forces answerable to no one but the White House and his cronies. Hopefully this is illegal and can be stopped. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/4 "2020-06-05T12:20:06Z")
Are there any links or photographs? ---
**Author:** ![nofloyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nofloyd/32/2870_2.png) [@nofloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nofloyd)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/5 "2020-06-05T12:40:50Z")
[Unmarked, armed riot officers seen around D.C. won’t say what agency they are from](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/unmarked-police-officers-dc-riots-bureau-of-prisons-riot-squads/65-bc1c42a7-b05b-490c-9dab-eebb1b1bba20) New York Times [Unidentified Federal Police Prompt Fears Amid Protests in Washington](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/us/politics/unidentified-police-protests.html) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/6 "2020-06-05T13:31:48Z")
From that first link - > [@](#): > > Update: The Bureau of Prisons has confirmed to CBS News that the riot officers in D.C. who have been unwilling to identify themselves are BOP employees. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/7 "2020-06-05T13:36:53Z")
Thanks, nofloyd. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/8 "2020-06-05T13:37:54Z")
American SS, nice. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/9 "2020-06-05T14:39:12Z")
Supposedly they are anti-riot prison guards from the federal bureau of prisons. > **[Special Operations Response Team](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Response_Team)** > > Special Operations Response Teams are a group under the US Federal Bureau of Prisons, or BOP for short, a component of the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The BOP is responsible for maintaining the custody of anyone convicted of committing a federal crime. To achieve this goal, the BOP maintains a number of correctional facilities, which are divided into six regions, throughout the US. These facilities house approximately 211,195 inmates of varying security levels. Facilities are designated as To... ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/10 "2020-06-05T14:50:16Z")
Prison guards? WTF! So the citizenry are now to be treated like prisoners? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/11 "2020-06-05T16:19:48Z")
A number of people are unhappy about this (me included). [Here’s some others](https://www.npr.org/2020/06/04/870048760/no-names-no-insignias-democrats-call-for-anonymous-policing-of-protests-to-end): > [@](#): > > Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers about just who these anonymous enforcers are. > > “Some officers have refused to provide identification and have been deployed without identifying insignias, badges and name plates,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote Thursday in a letter to President Trump. “The practice of officers operating with full anonymity undermines accountability, ignites government distrust and suspicion, and is counter to the principle of procedural justice and legitimacy during this precarious moment in our nation’s history.” > > Pelosi requested that Trump provide her with “a full list of the agencies involved and clarifications of the roles and responsibilities of the troops and federal law enforcement resources operating in the city.” > > In the Senate, Minority leader Chuck Schumer and Connecticut Democrat Christopher Murphy announced Thursday they are cosponsoring a bill "requiring unidentified law enforcement officers and members of the Armed Forces to clearly identify themselves and their agency or service while they are engaged in crowd control or arresting individuals involved in civil disobedience or protests in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/12 "2020-06-05T16:40:58Z")
Why are protestors acting as though these are anything other than proud boy goons with better sponsorship? Ignore them. Walk past them. They have as much authority as the lunatic shouting on a street corner that the end is nigh. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/13 "2020-06-05T16:48:01Z")
Doesn’t it seem obvious that using prison guards is part of Trump’s “get tough” policy? Since he views all protesters as criminals, what could be a better group to handle them and show who’s boss? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/14 "2020-06-05T18:09:21Z")
Hey! I was right. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/15 "2020-06-05T18:24:10Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Why are protestors acting as though these are anything other than proud boy goons with better sponsorship? Ignore them. Walk past them… Because they’re armed proud boy goons? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/16 "2020-06-05T18:33:00Z")
Seems like next time these “Prison Guards” appear the DC Police & FBI should show up and arrest them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/17 "2020-06-05T19:18:16Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Why are protestors acting as though these are anything other than proud boy goons with better sponsorship? Ignore them. Walk past them. They have as much authority as the lunatic shouting on a street corner that the end is nigh. If they are BOP riot police, they are by no means \*“proud boy goons” \*. Perhaps Barr is a white supremacist, but saying that about your average BOP riot police is wrong. They are just guys, obeying orders. And dont use the “just obeying orders” stuff- that only applies to Crimes Against Humanity. Barr and trump are the problems here, there are just men doing their job, they have little choice in the matter. Dont blame the poor wage slaves, blame Barr and trump who ordered them there. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/18 "2020-06-05T19:20:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If they are BOP riot police, they are by no means \*“proud boy goons” \*. Perhaps Barr is a white supremacist, but saying that about your average BOP riot police is wrong. They are just guys, obeying orders. > > And dont use the “just obeying orders” stuff- that only applies to Crimes Against Humanity. > > Barr and trump are the problems here, there are just men doing their job, they have little choice in the matter. Dont blame the poor wage slaves, blame Barr and trump who ordered them there. If they are trained to put down prison riots, I think it is a very bad thing waiting to happen. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/19 "2020-06-05T19:20:54Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Seems like next time these “Prison Guards” appear the DC Police & FBI should show up and arrest them. They are LEO, obeying orders from the DOJ. They arent doing anything wrong- it is Barr who should be blamed, not these poor schnooks. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086/20 "2020-06-05T19:25:13Z")
They’d look less like snooks if they weren’t embarrassed to identify themselves [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086.md?page=2)