TAMPA, Fla. — Nearly one year after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, police say the threat level now is even higher than it was last year as questions linger from last year’s attacks.
“A big fear for many folks is, ‘Is this how we're going to resolve conflict in the future if you have a disagreement with government? Are you now allowed to storm the Capitol? Or, could you perhaps choose an alternative route of just using your vote at the ballot box?'” said Lucas Fleming, who works as a criminal defense attorney in Pinellas County.
While the pressing nature of prosecuting those involved in the insurrection may have faded slightly from some Americans’ memories, Fleming says it is important that the investigation remains in the forefront.
"It needs to be part of our collective conscience as a community, as a country to remember this situation,” he said.
Yet, nearly a year and hundreds of arrests later, there are still questions about what happened at the nation's Capitol on that day and why.
Dozens of people from Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, found themselves charged in the attacks.
The high numbers led Capitol Police to open a field office in Tampa last year.
"Some of the information that has been collected within these offices certainly have been used to prosecute,” said Dr. Lars Hafner, a political analyst.
Capitol Police have not released much information about how the offices operated, but Fleming says that is expected of federal agencies.
“One thing about the federal government though, is that you don't typically hear them in the investigative phase of things. You just hear it once the arrests are made, and then the convictions are handed down,” he said.
Over the coming months, experts say to expect new details from the U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection.
"I think we're going to see public hearings that will start being shown on cable TV and it's going to continue to build up to the crescendo of getting someone who is right there in the room to actually testify and say something potentially against the president,” said Hafner.
Fleming said interest in any connections to former President Donald Trump may have had to the attacks are of high interest.
"I think that's kind of what everybody wants to know is what did President Trump know about and what did you do or not do once you got the information? How much did he support explicitly or implicitly this behavior that was occurring at our nation's Capitol,” he said.
The answers to these questions are details experts expect to see more of as voters prepare for midterm elections.
"In some ways, the American people will be the ones that will hold the individuals involved with this accountable through not only the election process but just by going out there and rally to try to save our democracy,” said Hafner. “But ultimately, the rule of law would go to the Attorney General's office, and they would have the right to prosecute these individuals.”
Cell phone records from inside the Capitol, as well as video and eyewitness accounts, have helped investigators charge hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol.
"I think what's interesting and fascinating is that nobody has prevailed that has been charged criminally on any kind of a case. So, that should be an indication that you know that that's not a tolerated behavior,” said Fleming.
"The biggest message I'm hearing is this is not the way to effect change in our country. We as a governmental body need to look to the laws of incentive to do this. If you don't like it, go to the ballot box."