U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger, who took cost of the division within the tough months after the U.S. Capitol siege, is retiring from his place Friday. After the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, he helped rebuild the division’s shrunken workers, beefed up recruitment efforts and bolstered the company’s intelligence operations and communications to repair weaknesses revealed by the breach of the Capitol.
Manger informed CBS Information he confronted stiff challenges when he arrived on the job in 2021.
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“The department as a whole had lost confidence in the (prior) leadership as a result of what happened,” he stated. “And there were big things that were identified as things that needed to be fixed as quickly as we could fix them: Things like the intelligence failures, the communication failures, the equipment failures, the training failures, the leadership failures — all of those things needed to be addressed immediately.”
Manger, a former native police chief in Fairfax County, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland, efficiently advocated for will increase in funding to enhance hiring, tools and operations.
The division was blasted by critics for intelligence failures that contributed to the violation of the complicated on Jan. 6, 2021.
“We now have a world class intelligence operation. We are significant players in the intelligence community in the Washington, D.C., region and, frankly, all over the country,” Manger stated. “Whereas before, we were basically just —… we were consumers of information. The FBI would give us intelligence, other agencies would give us intelligence. Now we are gathering our own.”
The U.S. Capitol Police Board will choose a brand new police chief, which Manger predicts will occur quickly.
Manger has requested almost $1 billion in funding for 2026, which might signify the newest in a collection of latest price range boosts for the division. In testimony earlier than a congressional committee on justifying his price range request, Manger cited an elevated variety of investigations into threats towards members of Congress.
“The current climate of threats has reached alarming levels,” he informed the committee in April. Capitol Police information present the variety of threats launched towards congressional members in 2024 exceeded 9,400.
He added, “Social media and the internet provide a breeding ground for threats that — regardless of their nature — the department must investigate.”
Manger and the Capitol Police have additionally bolstered the division’s operations exterior of Washington, responding to potential threats within the hometowns of lawmakers.
The division has a novel mission amongst police businesses, defending elected leaders and securing the U.S. Capitol campus, which hosts over 3 million guests annually. The Capitol is open to the general public, and lawmakers are accessible to residents.
Manger has been vital of the pardons issued by President Trump to free Capitol rioters who beat, clubbed and gassed Capitol Police and different officers throughout the assault on the Capitol. He informed CBS Information that when Mr. Trump issued 1,500 pardons to the suspected and convicted rioters when he took workplace, it “was probably one of my worst days in this job.”
He additionally blasted conspiracy theories about Jan. 6 that proceed to flow into on social media.
“My folks were here on Jan. 6. They were part of what went on. They were assaulted,” Manger stated. “They were in fights. Many of them were injured. They know exactly what happened on Jan. 6. For somebody to make up some story that, ‘Oh, it wasn’t that bad,’ — it is just not true.”
“What a chilling message to law enforcement, because we’ve got a job to do, and we don’t care what the issue is,” Manger continued. “We don’t care what side of the coin you’re on on any particular issue because we have a job to do, to maintain public order and to keep the peace.”
Rep. Joe Morelle, a New York Democrat who’s the rating member of the Committee on Home Administration, stated of Manger, “Since taking over at the department’s hour of greatest need, he professionalized a force in need of steady leadership.”
A union consultant for Capitol Law enforcement officials informed CBS Information, “Manpower is still an issue, as well as balancing work and family life for the rank and file officers, which continues to plague morale within the agency.”
As he prepares to depart the division, Manger was lauded by one of many former Capitol Law enforcement officials who responded to the Jan. 6 riot. Former officer Harry Dunn informed CBS Information, “He showed his love for country, his love for law enforcement and his continued dedication to public service.”
