Police ask Congress for funds to boost safety
Caution is high after baseball shooting
Amid increased concern about lawmakers’ safety in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, Congress is considering a request from the U.S. Capitol Police to boost its budget by about $33 million to hire 72 more officers and ramp up security at congressional buildings and parking garages.
Police Chief Matthew Verderosa warned House members last month that there are not enough officers to “provide the complete and necessary resources to meet all of our mission requirements.” The department’s budget funds 1,871 officers and 372 civilian employees.
House and Senate Appropriations committees are crafting legislation that would include funding for the Capitol Police, which became more urgent after a gunman shot and critically wounded House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., at a suburban Virginia ball field Wednesday morning as Republican lawmakers practiced for the annual congressional baseball game. Four others, including two Capitol Police officers, were injured.
Sen. James Lankford, R- Okla., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Legislative Branch subcommittee, said the panel is working to reschedule a hearing on Capitol Police funding that was canceled Wednesday because of the shooting.
“We hope to have an understanding of their needs to continue to adequately protect Congress and the Capitol Complex and what additional resources may be needed in light of (Wednesday’s) event,” the senator said Thursday.
In testimony before the House Appropriations Legislative Branch subcommittee last month, Verderosa said understaffing at the department means officers work overtime and don’t have time for training in how to respond to the rise in terrorist attacks.
“We are seeing the nature of threats changing,” he told the subcommittee May 18 as he asked for a budget increase of about 8.5%, for a total budget of $427 million. “We have seen a rise in terrorist organizations attacking public venues. ... Every event on Capitol Grounds, from demonstrations to concerts to members crossing the street for votes, must be considered to be at risk.”
Verderosa also sought funding for 48 more civilian employees and requested $2.1 million to fund an alternate command center police could use if their center at police headquarters lost power or could not be accessed in an emergency.