The Capitol Police’s chief admits that the organization struggles to get staffed.
While the Capitol Police have experienced several reforms since the events of Jan. 6, the organization is still struggling to acquire enough staff to accommodate Congress’s needs.
“We are now really about 400 officers short of where we need to be,” Chief J. Thomas Manger told Trace Gallagher on Fox News Sunday.
Manger noted that the Capitol Police have lost more than 130 officers through retirements or resignations since the Jan. 6 riots. Manger also noted that the National Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy suspended classes in 2020, making the acquisition of new officers harder.
This understaffing occurs concurrently with an increased number of threats to Congress, Manger said.
“We’ve had to really shift the focus of just doing the typical job that we would do normally and put more resources toward investigating those complaints,” Manger said. “Ensuring that members of Congress are safe not only when they are at the Capitol, but when they are traveling within their home districts as well.”
Manger also expressed thankfulness for the Capitol Police’s ability to call in the National Guard for help. Biden signed into law a bill on Dec. 22 that would give Manger the ability to request assistance from the guard if necessary. “It’s crucial if you have a situation like we had on Jan. 6 where you have an emergency situation and you need to be able to request those resources and get them as quickly as possible,” Manger said.
Manger left retirement in July to become chief of Capitol Police after serving as an officer in Maryland from 2004 to 2019.
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