The events that unfolded on January 6, 2021 ultimately led to a hefty to-do list for U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger, who took on the role about six months after the attack. In an interview with POLITICO, Manger said one of his top priorities was creating an intelligence agency to better monitor incoming threats across the country. “The Capitol Police really didn’t have people in the region working with other intelligence agencies, or with other law enforcement agencies, so that we were part of that community and not just on the receiving end, you know, just waiting for people to tell us. what they heard,” Manger said during an interview in his office just a few blocks from the Capitol.
While Washington DC is an obvious focal point for the security of Congress, Manger emphasized the importance of his department having national oversight to effectively provide a 24/7 “Secret Service” for the To be able to be Congress. Over the past decade, the number of threats against members of Congress has increased significantly. According to reports published by the Capitol Police, a total of 8,008 cases were investigated in 2023; a notable spike compared to 5,206 cases in 2018.
In addition to these complications, incoming threats have evolved as technology becomes more sophisticated, Manger said.
“We are collecting information specific to the Capitol, specific to members of Congress. And of course there are so many ways to collect that information. And the landscape that you have to look at is just so vast, you know, whether it’s all social media, whether it’s just threats and information coming through email or phone calls, or just people making threats in person.” , said Manger.
Watch this video to learn more about the new intelligence protocols and procedures USCP has implemented to date.
