WASHINGTON -- Capitol Police dropped a charge of unlawful conduct against anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for ejecting her and a congressman's wife from President Bush's State of the Union address for wearing T-shirts with war messages.

"The officers made a good-faith but mistaken effort to enforce an old unwritten interpretation of the prohibitions about demonstrating in the Capitol," Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer said in a statement late Wednesday.

"The policy and procedures were too vague," he added. "The failure to adequately prepare the officers is mine."

The extraordinary statement came a day after police removed Sheehan and Beverly Young, wife of Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., from the visitors gallery Tuesday night. Sheehan was taken away in handcuffs before Bush's arrival at the Capitol and charged with a misdemeanor, while Young left the gallery and therefore was not arrested, Gainer said.

He added that he was asking the U.S. attorney's office to drop the charge against Sheehan. Gainer's statement also said he apologized to the Youngs and shared "the department's plans for avoiding this in the future. A similar message has been left with Mrs. Sheehan," Gainer said.

Sheehan's T-shirt alluded to the number of soldiers killed in Iraq: "2245 Dead. How many more?" She was released from custody and flew home Wednesday to Los Angeles.

Young's shirt had this message: "Support the Troops -- Defending Our Freedom."

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