U.S. Capitol Police still face understaffing and low morale, chief says

Megan Lebowitz
Updated ·2 min read
3

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police officers continue to face low morale and understaffing as they deal with an increase in threats against members of Congress, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger told the House Administration Committee in a hearing Tuesday.

"Low morale and the public's declining confidence in law enforcement have put a further strain on the organization," Manger said in his opening statement.

Three-hundred-and-fifty-eight officers have left the Department since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Manger said. He said the Dignitary Protection Division, which is responsible for protecting House and Senate leadership, is staffed at only around 70% of fully trained agents and supervisors of its pre-Jan. 6 force.

Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testifies during a House hearing on May 16, 2023. (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testifies during a House hearing on May 16, 2023. (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

The understaffing and morale issues come as threats against members of Congress have increased by about 400% over the past six years, Manger said.

His testimony comes a day after a man entered the office of Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and attacked two members of his staff with a metal bat. The staffers were transferred to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and Capitol Police are investigating the incident.

Given the rise in threats and other attacks like the October 2022 assault on Nancy Pelosi's husband, Manger said the department is transitioning to a more protective-oriented agency.

Manger said that “proliferation of use of social media” and the increasing political divide in the country has a lot to do with the increase in threats.

When Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, R-N.Y., asked Manger about excessive work hours for rank-and-file officers, Manger responded, "It is probably the issue that impacts morale the most." After Jan. 6 there were a "host of issues" affecting morale, "but this is the one that we have not been able to get our arms around yet."

"The folks that are working Dignitary Protection, I wonder when they ever see their families because they are, seems like they're working constantly," Manger said later.

Manger was selected as chief of the U.S. Capitol Police in July 2021. He was not a member of the Capitol Police on Jan. 6, 2021; he previously served as the chief of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Department for 15 years.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com