BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund resigned his position shortly after the attacks on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but the events that day remained crystal clear in his mind and led him to write a recently published book about it.

Currently on a junket to promote Courage Under Fire, Sund spoke at the Beachwood branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library Thursday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Steven Sund was chief of the U.S. Capitol Police during the Jan. 6 attack

  • His new book, Courage Under Fire, is a detailed, inside look at how the events unfolded

  • Sund said police were outnumbered but did not fail 

“I never really wanted to write the book," said Sund. "I sat back after Jan. 6 and realized there was a lot of stuff that went wrong that day.”

Sund said he first wrote an eight-page letter to Congress, detailing the events, but didn't receive a response. He also provided written and oral testimony in front of Congress before writing the book, which was released nearly two years to the day from the attacks.  Sund remains firm in his support for his officers and said his book title is a nod to their tenacity and spirit. 

"My officers did not fail in their mission. They were there, they maintained their post, not a single member of Congress was injured or killed. They did a heck of a job, I want to make sure that somebody was standing up for them,” he said.

Sund now enjoys his new title as author and getting the chance to meet people and tell his story in his own words. 

“I look at writing this book as almost a historical document and when people want to read it, they’re going to realize that I’ve written it in a very apolitical, unbiased fashion,” he said.