Capitol Police chief touts increased staffing two years after Jan. 6 attack

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger on Monday said his force is “clearly better off” than it was before the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which happened two years ago Friday.

Manger said in a statement Monday that the Capitol Police force will exceed both its pre-pandemic and pre-Jan. 6 staffing levels in a few months, and that the force has hired a new intelligence director and leaders from “premier” law enforcement agencies who have experience in national security special events.

“Make no mistake, there is still work to be done,” Manger said. “The current threat climate, particularly against elected officials, will require continued and heightened vigilance. We will do everything possible to fulfill our mission of protecting the Members of Congress, the Capitol Complex and the legislative process.”

Manger said Capitol Police have made more than 100 improvements since the attack, some of which exceed recommendations made in the wake of the event. He added that the force now has specialized training and upgraded equipment to be better prepared for future attacks.

“With the polarized state of our nation, an attack like the one our Department endured on January 6, 2021, could be attempted again,” Manger added. “Should the unthinkable happen, we will be ready.”

More than 100 police officers were injured during the riot. One Capitol Police officer serving on Jan. 6 died the day after the attack. Two other officers, one with Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and one with Capitol Police, died by suicide in the days after the attack.

Ex-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who was the chief at the time of Jan. 6, warned in his new book that the department is “not in a better place or on a readier footing” two years after the insurrection, according to The Washington Post.

“Few people in the department feel there is a viable plan to move the agency into a better position,” Sund said in his book. “Hundreds of officers have left the department since Jan. 6 and many feel it is only going to get worse.”

Sund resigned the day following the riot after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on him to step down. Manger took over the post in July 2021 after a nationwide search for Sund’s replacement.