This week’s conversation is with Officer Harry Dunn who talks about what inspired his career of service and why he continues to fight for our democracy each day.
Officer Harry Dunn, a certified crisis negotiation and crisis intervention officer for the US Capitol Police, grew up in Prince George’s County, Maryland and credits his parents with instilling in him the values of treating people right. Officer Dunn joined the U.S. Capitol police in 2008. On January 6, 2021, he was one of the brave officers who protected the country as a mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the presidential election. Officer Dunn protected the country from the insurrection as he experienced physical attacks and racial epithets from those storming the Capitol building. In recognition for Officer Dunn’s role in protecting the U.S. Capitol, President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal. The medal is the second-highest award a civilian can get and is given by the president to “U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”