Capitol Police deploys security officers amid staffing shortages

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) is deploying contracted security officers to the Capitol complex as the department struggles with staffing shortages, according to a memo sent to lawmakers and staff and obtained by The Hill.

Beginning Monday, the officers will be posted inside secure buildings and within existing patrol areas. They will not be armed and will wear a uniform of grey dress pants and navy blue blazers.

“Due to staffing shortages, the USCP officers have been required to work mandatory overtime and have experienced the cancellation of well-deserved scheduled days off,” the House sergeant at arms, Senate sergeant at arms and Architect of the Capitol said in the memo dated April 29.

“Capitol Security Officers will assist those who protect the House and Senate community as we continue to safely re-open the Capitol complex,” it said.

The security officers will help give USCP officers more time “to focus on their critical mission to protect the Capitol complex,” the memo adds.

Capitol Police told The Hill in a statement that the deployment of contracted security officials at the Capitol complex will be temporary.

The news comes after USCP Chief Thomas Manger in March said staffing shortages were delaying the reopening of the building. The first phase of the Capitol’s reopening began in March, marking the first step in opening the building’s door back to the public after it was closed for two years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Phase two is set to begin on May 30, marking a limited reopening of the Capitol Visitor Center. In March, Manger said he recommended a phased reopening because the department did not have the staffing needed to cover all posts, some of which were added after the pandemic.

The USCP also said it is “aggressively” recruiting and training news officers.

“The Department is temporarily using contract Capitol Security Officers to work secondary posts in order to safely re-open the Capitol Complex, while the USCP continues to aggressively recruit and train new officers. This program is intended to provide relief to our officers,” the USCP wrote.

The agency has struggled with staffing shortages since the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. In a report published in January, the Capitol Police board said its workforce was “stretched thin.”

In March, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) during a hearing said USCP was down more than 300 officers.