US Capitol Police Get New Chief

Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger speaks at a news conference, Md., on July 15, 2015. Molly Riley/File/AP Photo

A decorated former Maryland police chief has been appointed to head the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), the law enforcement agency has announced.

Tom Manger, who has worked in policing for 42 years, including as police chief in Montgomery County, Maryland, and in Fairfax County, Virginia, will on Jan. 23 assume command as the new chief of USCP, according to the Capitol Police Board.

The Capitol Police Board, which includes the House and Senate sergeant-at-arms and the Architect of the Capitol, oversees the USCP, the federal law enforcement agency tasked with safeguarding Congress.

“Congress is fortunate to have a seasoned decision-maker who will lead with integrity, draw on his regional experience in strengthening partnerships with law enforcement partners, and make intelligence-based security decisions,” the board said in a statement that noted Manger’s selection came after a nationwide recruitment by a leading executive search firm.

Manger has received numerous awards over the course of his career in law enforcement, including the Silver Medal of Valor in 1993.

“I am humbled and honored to join the men and women of the US Capitol Police Department in their mission to protect the Congress, the Capitol and the federal legislative process,“ Manger said in a statement. ”The challenges in protecting the Capitol campus, and everyone who works or visits there, have never been more complex.”

Manger replaces Yogananda Pittman, who was named acting chief of police on Jan. 8 after then-USCP chief Steven Sund announced his resignation on Jan. 7, in response to pressure from lawmakers and critics to step down.

“The Board thanks Acting Chief of Police Yogananda Pittman for her dedication and focused effort over the last six months to enhance security around the Capitol Complex and begin the hard work of implementing lessons learned from January 6,” the board said in a statement.

Manger takes over the embattled law enforcement agency that has faced criticism from all sides over its handling of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Police leaders and the lawmakers that oversee them have struggled to determine the best way to secure the Capitol and what direction to take the 2,300-person USCP force.

USCP has asked for more funding to hire more officers and better riot gear, but legislation to provide money for the force has been held up amid partisan disputes, chiefly over the topline amount.

Republicans have proposed $632 million for the USCP and the National Guard, while Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has introduced a $3.7 billion proposal that would also bolster assistance for Afghan refugees and Afghan nationals who helped with the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan. The Democrat-controlled House has also passed its own $1.9 billion package, which has stalled in the Senate.

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Politico that Republicans won’t back the House Democrat proposal nor the one put forward by Leahy, saying the GOP is seeking “something smaller.”