US Capitol Police Chief Hired in Wake of Jan. 6 Announces Retirement

Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said he plans to step down in May.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testifies during a Senate hearing on Jan. 5, 2022. Tom Williams/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, who was appointed after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, said he will retire in May after four years in the role.

Manger became chief in July 2021, replacing Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman. She had temporarily stepped in after Steven Sund resigned amid criticism over the agency’s response to Jan. 6.

“I am honored to have served with a team that is dedicated to this critical mission. It is time for a new leader to continue the success that we started together. When I took the oath of office in the summer of 2021 – I could not have imagined the progress a police department of our size could make in just a few years,” Manger said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times.

“We made these changes to this Department because of the work ethic and dedication of our entire workforce, as well as the support of our Congressional stakeholders.”

Manger has served more than four decades in law enforcement, including more than 20 years as police chief for three of the largest agencies in the National Capital Region, according to the U.S. Capitol Police website.

Before becoming Capitol Police chief, he led the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland from 2004 to 2019 and served as police chief in Fairfax County, Virginia, from 1998 to 2004.

During his career, Manger has received multiple honors, including the 2007 Law Enforcement Award from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the 2016 Gorowitz Institute Service Award from the Anti-Defamation League, and the 2018 FBI National Executive Institute Associates Penrith Award. He was inducted into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2012.

During his tenure, the Capitol Police completed all of the 103 recommendations regarding the safety of the Capitol building that were made by the Office of Inspector General after the Jan. 6 breach.

More than 1,583 people were arrested and charged in connection with the events of Jan. 6, 2021, including more than 600 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony, according to the Department of Justice.

During the breach, Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, was fatally shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer while she was trying to climb through a broken window on the way to the Speaker’s Lobby.

On Jan 20, shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump pardoned about 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the breach and commuted the sentences of 14 individuals.

Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) the top Democrat on the Committee on House Administration, thanked Manger for his “character and patriotism,” after his retirement was announced.

“Since taking over at the Department’s hour of greatest need, he professionalized a force in need of steady leadership,” Morelle said in a statement. “I am eternally grateful for his service and his friendship.”

The Epoch Times contacted U.S. Capitol Police for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.