在1月6日国会大厦致命袭击两周年前夕，美国国会大厦警察局长J. Thomas Manger告诉立法者，他的部门专注于三个关键领域，威胁调查，在未来三个月内全面重新开放国会大厦和人员配备。
就在议长南希·佩洛西的丈夫保罗·佩洛西在他们旧金山的家中遇袭几周后，曼格周一告诉立法者，他的部门在2021年应对了超过9625起针对国会议员的威胁。
Manger说，在过去的几年里，针对立法者的威胁大幅上升。2017年，他的部门处理了约3939起针对立法者的威胁，称威胁“在过去五六年里稳步而深刻地上升。”
Manger告诉参议员，未来的成员安全不仅要关注华盛顿特区的威胁，还要关注他们家乡地区的立法者。他说，他想要一个小规模的全职工作人员，为国会议员发展与州和地方执法机构的关系。
“仅仅识别坏演员是不够的，”Manger说。“那些犯下可被起诉罪行的人必须在刑事司法系统内对他们的行为负责，认识到这些威胁很难被起诉。”
明尼苏达州参议院规则委员会主席艾米·克洛布查尔(Amy Klobuchar)表示，2021年，国会警察提交了458起威胁案件进行起诉，但只有40起导致起诉。
“我感到沮丧的是，我们的起诉室友的比率仍然如此之低，”Manger告诉立法者。
他说，三名美国检察官已被指派到国会警察局起诉威胁案件，但表示他们需要更多的援助。“联邦调查局和美国检察官办公室非常有帮助，但他们有大量的案件，对我们来说。对国会议员的威胁是最重要的。”
Manger告诉立法者，他的目标是到2023财年结束时，将宣誓就职的警察人数增加到2000多名，并将高级职员人数增加到450多名。
“自1月6日以来，我们已经雇用了350多名新员工，其中175名从学院毕业，现在正在覆盖国会大厦的各个岗位，”马奇周一告诉立法者。"我们的雇佣和招聘工作还包括55名国会大厦安全官员."
Manger说，签约的安全官员主要位于次要岗位，并允许国会警察能够腾出人员配备给警察。确保警察在轮班结束时换班可以防止不必要的加班，以及假期不会因日程安排而中断，这是许多国会警察在1月6日之前的常见做法。
曼格在向立法者的恳求中说，他想要更多的保护代理人。他告诉参议员们，他认为国会警察没有为一些国会领导成员提供行政部门所得到的保护。
在1月6日国会大厦遇袭之前，由于新冠肺炎疫情，组成国会大厦的建筑不对公众开放。Manger周一告诉立法者，他认为他们将能够在未来三个月内完全重新开放国会大厦，恢复到COVID之前的水平。
Capitol Police focus on threat investigations, staffing, fully reopening Capitol ahead of Jan. 6 anniversary
Ahead of the second anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger told lawmakers his department is focused on three key areas, threat investigations, fully reopening the Capitol in the next three months and staffing.
Just weeks after Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi was attacked in their San Francisco home, Manger told lawmakers on Monday his department fielded more than 9,625 threats against Members of Congress in 2021.
Threats
Manger said there has been a large uptick in threats against lawmakers over the past few years. In 2017, his department fielded around 3,939 threats against lawmakers, saying threats had "gone up steadily and profoundly over the last five or six years."
Manger told senators that member security in the future has to focus not just on threats in Washington, D.C., but on lawmakers in their home districts. He said he wants a small, full-time staff that develops relationships with the state and local law enforcement for members of Congress.
"It's not enough just to identify the bad actors," Manger said. "Those that commit prosecutable offenses must be called to account for their actions within the criminal justice system, recognizing that these threats are difficult to prosecute."
Senate Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said that in 2021, Capitol Police referred 458 threat cases for prosecution, but only 40 resulted in prosecution.
"It is disheartening to me that our prosecution roommate's rate remains so low," Manger told lawmakers.
He said three U.S. attorneys have been assigned to the Capitol Police to prosecute threat cases, but said they need more assistance. "The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office are very helpful, but they have a huge caseload and for us. A threat against a member of Congress is high priority."
Staffing
Manger told lawmakers his goal was to increase the number of sworn police staff to more than 2,000 officers and senior staff to over 450 by the end of fiscal year 2023.
"Since Jan. 6, we have hired over 350 new recruits, 175 of which have graduated from the academy and are now covering posts throughout the Capitol grounds," Manger told lawmakers on Monday. "Our hiring and recruitment efforts also include 55 contract Capitol Security Officers."
The contracted security officers are located at primarily secondary posts and have allowed Capitol Police to be able to free up staffing for police officers, Manger said. Ensuring that officers get relieved at the end of their shifts prevents unnecessary overtime, as well as vacations that aren't interrupted due to scheduling, a common practice for many Capitol Police officers before Jan 6.
Manger, in a plea to lawmakers, said he wants more protection agents. Told senators that he felt Capitol Police doesn't provide the level of protection to some members of Congressional leadership that the executive branch receives.
Reopening the Capitol
Prior to the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, the buildings that make up the Capitol Complex were closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manger told lawmakers on Monday he felt that they will be able to fully reopen the Capitol to pre-COVID levels within the next three months.
