Inside how the Capitol Police has changed since Jan. 6, 2021

As Congress prepares to certify another election on Jan. 6, the U.S. Capitol Police looks like a vastly different agency than it was ahead of the attack on the Capitol four years ago.

Security officials on the Hill were widely excoriated for the lack of preparedness ahead of the attempted insurrection, prompting multiple high-level resignations in the following weeks. An oft-repeated criticism was that officials should have requested help prior to the attack, given clear signals that there would be a huge protest coming to the area with the potential to turn violent. Those issues coincided with a steep increase in violent threats made against members of Congress.

With that in mind, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger has sought to shift the agency’s identity as a traditional police force with a focus on Capitol Hill to a “protective force” built on intelligence gathering, threat assessment and flexing its nationwide authority and jurisdiction. It now has an intelligence bureau with dozens of agents, as well as field offices in Florida and California, with more possible in Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Texas.

But those shifts come at a cost. Capitol Police now operates with a $791.5 million budget, up more than 70 percent since the Capitol attack. Even accounting for inflation, that’s more than seven times the 9/11-era budget. Total spending is expected to reach $1 billion in the next few years, with officials requesting another 14 percent increase for next year’s budget.

“If all we had to do was protect the members of Congress on Capitol grounds, our budget would be a fraction of what it is,” Manger said in a recent interview. “We've got to protect the members of Congress all over the country.”

That has prompted some lawmaker questions about oversight. While Congress is the one that greenlights that funding, there’s an inescapable conflict given members’ increased fears for their own safety. No lawmakers publicly criticize USCP for its additional efforts to protect members — a difficult and complex task — but some would like to see transparency ramp up as more cash flows to the department, wondering if the increased money has really translated to increased safety.

“I think we need a lot of oversight on the United States Capitol Police processes, and that includes budget,” said Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), who sits on the House Administration Committee. “We need to be more active. And we need more transparency coming from leadership.”

In addition to the intelligence gathering operations, the new money has also gone toward addressing staffing shortages and attrition, with mixed results. Capitol Police leaders were already trying to grow the department before Jan. 6, as many of the officers were approaching retirement eligibility. Then hundreds more officers left en masse after the attack, too. Capitol Police officials now say that the first responder’s unit, expanded bicycle team, crowd management and civil disturbance units are “now appropriately trained and equipped.” While the department is still recruiting aggressively, staff has grown by between 300 and 400 employees since the riot, not counting hundreds of others hired to backfill retirements and attrition.

Back in December 2020, the FBI and multiple law enforcement agencies from NYPD to Washington State had raised concerns about the possibility that Donald Trump’s supporters would turn violent on Jan. 6. Capitol Police’s own intelligence unit saw social media posts about a plot to breach the complex — complete with maps of the building’s tunnels and explicit threats of violence against members of Congress.

But on Jan. 5 2021, guidance circulated within Capitol Police that “at this time there are no specific known threats related to the Joint Session of Congress Electoral College Vote Certification.” It couldn’t have been further from the truth or more disconnected from various intelligence, including the department’s own.

Capitol Police’s own intelligence unit saw social media posts about a plot to breach the complex — complete with maps of the building’s tunnels and explicit threats of violence against members of Congress.

After years of expansion and training, Manger now describes the capabilities of the intelligence bureau of USCP as “world class.” He said it includes social media, emails, telephone calls and every other avenue for threats that are made against members and the Capitol. Manger told senators last week that the department has implemented all of the official recommendations for changes to USCP made by lawmakers in the wake of the attack.

One key area they’re still trying to expand is threat assessment teams that handle the growing threats against lawmakers. Manger estimated that, in 2024, threats will eclipse previous years to “well over 8,000” against members and the Capitol complex, compared to just 1,000 to 2,000 a decade ago. He said that despite increased staffing, caseloads for the special agents investigating the threats are still too high. There’s also significant turnover in these high-pressure roles that are outside the protection of the Capitol Police union.

“This has been a really, really difficult cycle for a number of members whose families have been threatened,” Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) said. “They have death threats out for them, they have to have special security.”

Capitol Police also monitors residential security for members of leadership — changes were made to that process after the attack on Paul Pelosi in former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home last year. There has been a drumbeat of demand from lawmakers for more protection when they are outside the heavily protected Capitol grounds, whether in their districts, in transit and especially at events where many members gather together and could be targeted.

“We’re concerned about the safety of our family members, ourselves and our staff both here locally and in our district offices and our homes,” said Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.). “This is escalating … it’s nasty out there.”

Capitol Police insist these changes have made them better equipped to deal with threats. Manger called their responsibility to protect lawmakers a “24/7 no-fail mission” and said that has required more officers, training and administrative staff — all of which takes more money.

But concerns about oversight remain. After the 2021 attack, both lawmakers and outside groups urged an overhaul of the oversight apparatus for the USCP, which largely falls to the Capitol Police board. The halting and uncoordinated response of the board while the Hill was overrun drew calls for restructuring.

Capitol Police officials now say that the first responder’s unit, expanded bicycle team, crowd management and civil disturbance units are “now appropriately trained and equipped.”

The 141-year-old board — which is made up of the House and Senate sergeants at arms and the architect of the Capitol, with a nonvoting presence by the Capitol Police chief — was built to encourage a deliberative decision-making process, not for responding quickly to a violent crisis on the Capitol’s doorstep. Resignations and firings led to a wholesale replacement of the board after the attack, but the structure remains unchanged.

“Do I think that there's tweaks that could be made to make the whole sort of oversight system a little better? Absolutely,” Manger said. But “I'm trying to work within that structure.”

Not everyone is so sure those changes have helped matters. Griffiths said that USCP still has issues with being transparent with lawmakers who are explicitly tasked with overseeing the department, saying “my assessment is that it is not improving.”

“Congress propelled Capitol Police funding and manpower into the stratosphere but failed to launch the accountability mechanisms that would keep the police on mission,” longtime transparency advocate Daniel Schuman from the American Governance Institute said in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, Capitol Police funding has been on a steady upward climb since 1998, when a gunman bypassed a security checkpoint and killed two USCP officers in his attempt to enter the Capitol office suite of then-Majority Whip Tom DeLay. The Capitol Police began seeking — and receiving — a reliable series of budgetary increases which have not slowed.

The Capitol Police are requesting $906 million, a 14 percent increase over current funding levels for fiscal 2025. The department’s funding will be finalized as lawmakers negotiate a spending deal in the new year.

Jordain Carney and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this report incorrectly stated when the FBI and law enforcement agencies raised concerns about violence on Jan. 6. It was December 2020.

Topics

Biden to award Presidential Citizens Medal to key members of House Jan. 6 committee

President Joe Biden will award Rep.
NBC News - 2h
Tesla’s annual deliveries drop for first time since 2011

US electric vehicle pioneer led by Elon Musk has been hit by slowing demand
Financial Times - 3h
Man arrested after driving on grass near Capitol amid heightened concerns over vehicle attacks

Politico - 3h
Inside the Browns' descent into NFL mediocrity: How they got to 13 losses -- and QB purgatory

The Browns went from a playoff team to a three-win mess. Do they have a plan to fix it in 2025?
ESPN - 4h
How to succeed at forming new habits, from the author of 'Change: 6 science-backed strategies to transform your brain, body, and behavior'

Here's how to give yourself the best chance at success, says the author of "Change: Six science-backed strategies to transform your brain, body, and behavior."
CNBC - 4h
My friend has left her husband for a man I detest. Should I tell her how I feel? | Leading questions

Criticising a person’s partner is a pretty good way to strain a friendship, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. There’s no benefit in keeping the moral score. Read more Leading ...
The Guardian - 5h
Evidence Against Drinking Has Grown. Will Federal Advice Change?

Officials in other countries are warning about the health hazards of alcohol in any amount. Americans are still told that moderate drinking is safe. What gives?
The New York Times - 5h
'I died inside – I had fallen victim to a scam'

People are being warned to remain vigilant as the number of holiday scam reports rise.
BBC News - 13h
How Suicide Drones Changed the Front Lines in Ukraine in the War With Russia

Outnumbered and desperate, the nation began hacking cheap consumer drones with explosives — bringing a brutal new form of violence to 21st-century warfare.
The New York Times - 20h
Saudi Arabia says it executes 6 Iranians for drug smuggling

Saudi Arabia says it has executed six Iranian men over drug smuggling, sparking strong objections from Iran at a time when the two countries are trying to mend relations
ABC News - 21h
The week's bestselling books, Jan. 5

The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction.
Los Angeles Times - 1d
6 Relationship Resolutions for 2025

We asked researchers, couples counselors and sex therapists for some simple strategies to strengthen your romantic relationship in 2025.
The New York Times - 1d
6 Ways the Workplace Will Change in 2025

The smartphone generation will be managing teams. DEI lawsuits will drag on. Here’s what else experts expect to see in the changing world of work next year.
Inc. - 1d
Carter to lie in state at the Capitol

Politico - 3d
Meet the new members: A Californian returns to Capitol Hill

Politico - 6d
Biden awards Presidential Citizens Medal to members of House Jan. 6 committee

Watch live coverage as President Biden delivers remarks and awards the Presidential Citizens Medal to several individuals, including former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson for their ...
NBC News - 52m
What stocks’ worst stumble since 1952 in the final days of 2024 may mean for 2025

Here’s how the S&P 500 has historically performed annually after stumbling in the final days of a year, according to Bespoke Investment Group.
MarketWatch - 2h
Alabama football offseason news: Transfer portal, roster updates, recruiting, staff changes from Tide insiders

The Bama247 team has its finger on the pulse of Alabama transfer portal news, recruiting, staff moves and more as Kalen DeBoer enters a critical second year in Tuscaloosa
CBS Sports - 3h
US unemployment claims fall to the lowest level since March

The number of Americans applying for unemployment checks dropped last week to the lowest level since March, suggesting that most workers enjoy unusual job security
ABC News - 5h
Syrian delegation visits Saudi Arabia in first foreign trip since Assad ousting

Foreign and defence ministers arrive in Riyadh as Gulf states move to embrace new rulers
Financial Times - 10h
Biden giving second highest civilian award to leaders of Jan. 6 congressional panel

President Joe Biden is bestowing the second highest civilian award on Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson — the lawmakers who led the congressional investigation into the violent Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. ...
ABC News - 12h
Ethiopia opens first stock market since Emperor Haile Selassie

Prime minister pursues liberal reforms to revive ‘broke’ east African country after two-year civil war and default
Financial Times - 14h
How to invest in a much-changed China

While Trump threatens punitive tariffs, investors need to understand how much the country has altered in recent years
Financial Times - 14h
How Ohio State has gone from devastated loser to CFP juggernaut

Back-to-back beatdowns of Tennessee and Oregon showed what the Buckeyes learned from a defeat that rocked the program to its foundation.
Yahoo Sports - 15h
Webcam appears to show police running to scene

The moment was captured on a webcam in the French Quarter of the city, moments after the attack happened.
BBC News - 1d
2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings: Chase Brown makes a move inside the top 10

Updated rankings updates for running backs in Dynasty leagues
CBS Sports - 1d
Trump has a once-in a-century opportunity for change

Donald Trump will either grasp the opportunity history has thrust upon him to change the world for the better, or he will let it pass by and watch the downward slide into chaos continue. His ...
The Hill - 1d
No. 6 Penn State first team to punch its ticket to CFP semifinals

The Nittany Lions were successful at stifling Boise State star Ashton Jeanty all night, even keeping him from setting a new rushing record.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
US Capitol attack fugitive seeks asylum in Canada and hopes for Trump pardon

Antony Vo, 32, convicted over January 6 riot, was supposed to begin nine-month prison term but instead fled to Canada. An American man who absconded after being sentenced to prison for his role in ...
The Guardian - 1d
Former President Jimmy Carter to be honored over 6-day funeral schedule

Preparations have started for the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100. Events are set in Carter's hometown of Plains, Georgia, and in Washington, D.C. Mark ...
CBS News - 1d
Trotter's 10 Trends: Inside Arizona's offensive dichotomy, how Ian Jackson is sparking UNC and top takeaways

Baylor's 3-point defense and San Diego State's internal development are other trends that Isaac Trotter is tracking
CBS Sports - 1d