Now retired U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger took the job after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot with the goal of helping the department rebuild and reform.
As the nation watched the U.S. Capitol under attack that day, Manger, who was retired after serving as police chief in Fairfax and Montgomery counties, wanted to help.
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WATCH HERE“Just so emotional in terms of what I was seeing on the screen, and I thought, ‘How could this happen?’” he said.
He came out of retirement to take the job as chief of U.S. Capitol Police.
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SIGN UP Manger went through the Jan. 6 after-action reports, which pointed to understaffing as a big issue.
“We’ve gotten our staffing up,” Manger said. “There were intelligence failures, and today we have a world-class intelligence bureau. There were equipment failures, training failures — all of those things have been improved over the last four years.”
Last week, the Department of Justice announced a $5 million settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Jan. 6 rioter shot and killed by Capitol Police while trying to climb through a window.
Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump pardoned the Jan. 6 defendants.
“When you have people that assaulted police officers, it really sends a bad message to law enforcement that somehow those assaults didn’t really matter,” Manger said. “So, I spent some time trying to make sure my officers understood that they do matter, that the people here on Capitol Hill really do appreciate what they do.”
Capitol Police face increase of threats against congressmembers
Capitol Police also protect congressmembers as they travel around the District and the country. Two years ago, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., was attacked by a man in the elevator of her apartment building on H Street in D.C. A few months after that, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was carjacked in Navy Yard.
According to Manger, threats against congressmembers doubled in recent years.
“Making sure we have the resources to investigate those and to resolve those, and make sure we’re providing adequate protection to those members of Congress that have received real criminal threats,” he said.
Manger looking forward to having more fun in his retirement
Manger said he’s looking forward to retirement and turning off his early morning alarms.
“Just having more fun, enjoying my family more, traveling — all those kinds of things,” he said.
The Capitol Police Board has yet to name a successor for Manger.
