'I wish I could retire': Capitol's new Chief of Police talks about Jan. 6 and his purposes



J. Thomas Manger, a former police chief in Maryland and Virginia, is the new head of the US Capitol Police, church officials announced Thursday. The supervisor will take over the department's responsibilities following the Jan strike. 6 in which the supporters of former President Donald Trump easily overcame law enforcement and attacked the building.


The Capitol police board, which includes the House and Senate sergeant-at-arms and the Designer of the Capitol, is in charge of the army and is leading the search. The board said in a statement that Manger was appointed after his appointment nationwide and that they had confidence in "his experience and method of protecting Congress- its members, its staff, guests, and institutions."


The manager will do his job right away, starting work on Friday, the board said. His election was first announced by the Associated Press on Monday.


In a statement, Manger said he was "humbled and honored" by joining the branch.



"The challenges of protecting the Capitol campus, and everyone working or visiting there, have not been more difficult," he said. "The courage and dedication of the men and women of this agency was unveiled on January 6. It is now my job to ensure that they have the tools and support to continue achieving their goals in an ever-increasing task."


The manager takes over the busy department as the spirit of health has subsided. Officials face the aftermath of the uprising when most of them were injured and overtime and criticism from all sides for failing that day. By meeting with leading lawmakers, police leaders have struggled to find the best way to protect the Capitol and what direction to take to the army of 2 300 security guards and lawmakers within it.


The department has asked for more funding for more officers and better tools for violence, but funding for the organization has been caught amid disagreements. Meanwhile, a large fence around the pitch has been picked up over the past few weeks.


The administration served as king in Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside Washington, for 15 years, leaving in 2019. Prior to that, he headed for Fairfax County, Virginia, a police department, where he began his career as a police officer in 1977. Leading two Washington branches and his leadership in the Major Cities Chiefs Association has made him a common face in law enforcement circles and Capitol Hill.


The Capitol police board said Manger was "a timely decision-maker who would lead with integrity" and "his commitment to listening, impartiality, and transparency will be key to rebuilding trust between sworn in USCP officials and staff."


Amy Klobuchar Committee Chairman Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Said in a statement that Manger's appointment was "an important step forward as Capitol police continue to make the necessary changes to protect the Capitol Complex and support its officials."


The rules panel oversaw the police and recommended the appointment of a permanent chief in a report that assessed Jan's insecurity. 6.


The caretaker Prime Minister, Yogananda Pittman, was promoted after the former king, Steven Sund, was forced to step down immediately after the riots. Pittman was not expected to be appointed permanently after being severely criticized by his officials, who said they showed little leadership in the day of the uprising. The union voted favorably to show no confidence in him shortly thereafter.


Pittman had an intelligence that led to an uprising, which caught law enforcement unfairly. He acknowledged in Congress that many levels of failure had allowed Trump protesters to storm the building but denied that law enforcement had failed to take the threat seriously, citing how the Capitol police days before the riots released an internal document warning that extremists were violent.


When Sund stepped down, Pittman became the chief of black and women police officers in the department's history for nearly 200 years after becoming one of the first black women to be promoted to captain. The department has long faced allegations of racism, especially in a class action case in 2001 brought on behalf of more than 300 officers who were previously accused of missing out on the promotion and transfer of illiterate and degraded racist officials.


The Capitol police board thanked Pittman for "his dedication and his efforts to focus on the past six months to strengthen security around the Capitol Complex and begin the difficult task of implementing the lessons learned on January 6."

Contributing to the decline of the military is the death of three Capitol police officers since the attack. Brian Sicknick fell on January 6 and died the next day after joining the protesters, from which the medical examiner determined the cause was natural. Howard Liebengood died of suicide in the days following the uprising. And Billy Evans was killed in a head-on collision in April when a driver fled his car to a Capitol checkpoint.


Four people were killed during the riots, including a woman who was shot dead by police as she tried to enter a House room with other Trump supporters who were suffering from medical emergencies.