Capitol Police chief: 'More resources' needed after attack on Paul Pelosi

WASHINGTON – Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger called Tuesday for “more resources” for the beleaguered department to protect members of Congress after the hammer attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their San Francisco home.

Capitol Police received a significant increase in funding to bolster Capitol security in the aftermath of the attack on Jan. 6, 2021. But Manger said it takes a year to train police officers and the attack Friday on Paul Pelosi suggested the need for more protection for congressional leaders and rank-and-file members.

“We believe today’s political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress,” Manger said in a statement.

Nancy Pelosi faced years of threats before her husband was attacked. The number of threats and so-called “concerning statements” tracked by the United States Capitol Police jumped from nearly 4,000 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021, according to the department.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., survived being shot in 2017 at a congressional baseball practice. Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., survived being shot in the head in 2011 while meeting with constituents.

John Hudak, deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management, said Paul Pelosi "ended up being pretty lucky in surviving" the attack.

"But it's only a matter of time until there is a high-level political assassination in the United States, given the tinderbox that we have right now, and that's a really unfortunate situation.”

The Biden administration takes the threat of the violence against elected officials seriously, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday. The Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Justice Department and Capitol Police issued a notice last week alerting local law enforcement about the threat of domestic violent extremists, she said.

“We have faith in the efforts of these agencies that are all involved in all hands on deck to work alongside state and local election officials to take necessary steps to keep people safe,” Jean-Pierre said.

Congress boosted funding for Capitol Police after the Jan. 6, 2021, when the agency had about 2,200 officer positions. The department reported 153 officers retired or resigned during the year after the attack.

About 140 officers were injured during the Capitol riot and five died in the days and weeks after.

Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was sprayed with chemicals during the attack, died the next day from a stroke. Two others – Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood and Metro Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, who responded to the riot – died by suicide days later. Metro Police Officers Gunther Hashida and Kyle DeFreytag, who also responded to the attack, died by suicide in July.

The department is on pace to hire 280 officers this year – part of a goal to add that number of officers each year for three years – but it takes a year for training to start work, Manger said.

“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.

Capitol Police coordinate with state and local law enforcement partners to protect all 435 members of Congress when they return home. The department set up field offices in California and Florida in July 2021 to investigate threats.

Manger also called for more prosecution of people who threaten lawmakers. During the past five years, people identified making threats were prosecuted about 12% of the time, he said.

“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,” Manger said. “We hope to see more of these cases prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Contributing: Maureen Groppe

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Capitol Police seek 'more resources' after attack on Paul Pelosi