"For many of us, when we saw what occurred on Jan. 6, it stirred something in us — it certainly stirred something in me," Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said. "It was the first time since I've been retired that I wished I was not retired. I wanted to be a police officer again. I wanted to be there to help."
The department is seeking to hire over 200 officers to protect Congress, according to a press release .
"We are looking for really good men and women who have that spirit for public service, who want to serve their country, whether you have an interest in being a SWAT officer, being a K-9 officer doing investigations, doing dignitary protection," Manger announced.
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Becoming an office in the Capitol Police means joining something bigger than oneself, he pointed out.
"When you look at the Capitol itself, just that majestic building, and you think about what goes on inside that building, it just makes you really feel like what you're doing means something and makes a real difference in our world," Manger expressed.
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The Capitol Police has been the victim of attrition in the past year, as has been the case with many police departments across the nation.
"According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 78% of law enforcement agencies reported having difficulty recruiting qualified candidates," the release said. "[Twenty-five percent] reported having to reduce or eliminate agency services, units, or positions because of staffing problems."
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The Capitol Police has lost over 100 sworn officers.
"That number, which is slightly higher than normal, includes a couple of mandatory retirements, a few disability retirements, and nearly two dozen officers who moved onto local, state and federal agencies," the press release said.
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In related news, Internal documents from DC Metropolitan Police, obtained through a FOIA lawsuit by the conservative group Judicial Watch, show witness accounts indicating Ashli Babbitt was unarmed when she tried climbing into the House chambers.
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Babbitt took part in the riot at the Capitol on January 6th, attempting to climb through broken glass into the chamber.
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The documents show witnesses had not seen Babbitt holding a weapon and provide conflicting reports as to whether she was verbally warned before being fired upon by Capitol Police officer Lieutenant Michael Byrd.
One witness account contained in an Internal Affairs Division report, from a Capitol Police sergeant, states “He did not see anything in the female protester’s hands prior to the gunshot.”
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Another report involving an interview with a separate Capitol Police officer yielded statements indicating, “He did not see Ms. McEntee [Babbitt] in possession of any potential weapons” and “He reiterated that he did not observe that she was armed.”
And yet another claim they did not see a weapon in Babbitt’s hands before hearing a gunshot, though investigators “recovered ‘a para force’ folding knife in Ms. Babbitt’s pants pocket.”
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