Capitol Police Chief Says More Resources Needed to Protect Congress in ‘Today’s Political Climate’

WASHINGTON — After a review of last Friday’s attack on Paul Pelosi, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said Tuesday that that more resources are needed to provide additional layers of security for Members of Congress in today’s political climate.

In a written statement, Manger said the new security plan would include an emphasis on adding “redundancies” to the measures that are already in place for congressional leadership.

“Hopefully you can understand that we cannot disclose the details about these improvements because our country cannot afford to make it easier for any potential bad actors,” Manger said.

The police chief went on to say the attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., “is an alarming reminder of the dangerous threats elected officials and public figures face during today’s contentious political climate.” 

He noted the U.S. Capitol Police made security improvements after both the 2011 shooting of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and the 2017 shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.

“With the increasing number of threats against elected officials from city council members to federal judges, our work to further our efforts to protect the members of Congress becomes increasingly urgent,” Manger said.

Since the siege of the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, by insurrectionist supporters of former President Donald Trump, the department has implemented a long list of improvements, including adding significant staffing to address the security in and around the Capitol Complex. 

Manger said the department is on track to meet its goal of hiring nearly 280 officers by the end of the year. 

“It takes the better part of a year to put recruits through the academy. While progress has been made, there is still a lot of work to do,” he said. 

“The department’s long-term plans to expand our protective operations are already underway — their importance only emphasized by Friday’s brutal attack. We will continue to work with our congressional partners to add additional agents and security enhancements to support our protective operations mission,” Manger said.

The USCP has worked diligently to investigate reported threats, improve intelligence collection and analysis, and strengthen its partnerships with law enforcement agencies across the country to provide security for members when they are traveling outside Washington, D.C.

He added: “During this time of heightened political tension, we continue to monitor thousands of cases across the country — in an effort to stop potential threats before they make headlines. During the past five years, roughly 12% of cases — in which we identified people making threats — have been prosecuted. We hope to see more of these cases prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

“The USCP is working tirelessly to keep everyone safe during this tense time in American politics. We understand the urgency of today’s challenges and remain committed to our mission,” he said.

Dan can be reached at dan@thewellnews.com and @DanMcCue