Capitol Police close after January. 6 recommendations, demand more workers

The Capitol Police have come a long way since January 6, 2021, Senator Amy Klobuchar said as she chaired her latest hearing in the Senate Rules Committee.

“We know we face challenges, but I think it’s important to recognize the progress,” the Minnesota Democrat said at Wednesday’s oversight hearing.

The police blocked all work after January. 6 general recommendations from the inspector and exceeds hiring goals, Chief J. Thomas Manger told senators. He painted a picture of a force that has entered a different era after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

“If there were two things I wanted to do … it was, first, to restore a sense of security to the people who worked here … and also to regain the trust of the men and women of the Capitol Police,” said Manger, who was inducted July 2021 boss. “Because I believe both things were damaged and actually destroyed four years ago.”

There was no shortage of goodwill at the hearing, with Klobuchar recalling her four years leading the committee and Manger thanking her and ranking member Deb Fischer, R-Neb., for their leadership.

Despite the warm reception, the department still faces internal issues such as burnout and poor morale, as well as public perception. As the budget ballooned, critics noted a perceived lack of transparency, including the suppression of general reports from Capitol Police inspectors that were largely hidden from the public until recently.

The Post Jan. Six recommendations were a problem for the department itself. Last year, lawmakers on the House Administration Committee questioned former Capitol Police Inspector General Ron Russo about some recommendations that were considered finalized even though they had not yet been fully implemented.

The total of more than 100 recommendations ranged from better communication between department management and officers to better equipment and training to clearer procedures for special events. Notably, and despite a decline in the overall number of officers after January 6, Manger testified that the force now has over 350 more sworn officers than it did before the 2021 attack.

But more workers are still needed, according to Manger and Officer Gus Papathanasiou.

Papathanasiou, who heads the Capitol Police union, did not testify at the hearing but was present for Manger’s testimony. Afterward, he said he largely agreed with Manger’s assessment of the department, but that officers were still struggling with burnout. A new threat environment in which lawmakers are having their homes hit with alarming frequency — Manger counted more than 50 last month — has only made things more difficult for the rank and file.

“I think there is still a lot to do, as the boss said, and a better work-life balance still needs to be created,” Papathanasiou said. “The critical mission is here on the hill, and we are now spread out across the country. If you bring bodies here to hand over to the DPD (Dignitary Protection Detail), you’re just reducing staffing levels here.”

But overall, Papathanasiou agreed that the force is stronger today than it was four years ago, and lawmakers appeared to agree, noting that a series of laws were passed after Jan. 6 aimed at deterring future incidents .

Klobuchar, who is expected to hand the gavel to former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell when Republicans take control of the chamber next year, touted a measure enacted in 2021 that would allow the police chief to direct the D.C. National to request assistance from Guard or federal authorities without prior authorization from the Capitol Police Board.

She also pointed to legislation that allows Congress to hire or fire the architect of the Capitol after the previous person to hold that post, J. Brett Blanton, came under investigation for failing to respond to the Capitol on the day of the attack Capitol had a number of other ethical lapses uncovered in a 2022 inspector general report. President Joe Biden unseated Blanton in February 2023. Klobuchar also cited a measure called the Electoral Count Reform Act, which took effect in 2022 and makes it harder for Congress to object to the Electoral College results.

“Aside from people’s different views on what happened (on January 6), everyone knows that there are ongoing threats and big, big challenges right now and that the police are better equipped to deal with them now than they were four years ago,” said Klobuchar before the hearing.

The changing nature of these challenges continues to anger lawmakers and police. According to Capitol Police, 8,008 threats were investigated in 2023, up from 5,206 in 2018. In November alone, the department counted more than 700 threats to be handled by about 20 threat investigators, with another eight soon to complete their training.

“Who would have thought that the threats would go through the roof? “Who would have thought that the tactics of people seeking to disrupt the lives and work of members of Congress would result in 50 people being beaten and disturbed in their homes in the middle of the night in the last month?” Manger said. “The elevated threat level in this country has not abated, so we need additional resources.”