The US Capitol Police has resorted to deploying contracted security officers to the Capitol complex due to staffing shortages, The Hill has reported, citing a memo sent to lawmakers late last month.
“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 and Senate sergeants at arms and the Architect of the Capitol – a federal agency responsible for Capitol complex maintenance, said in the memo dated 29 April.
The security officers are expected to begin patrols Monday, and operate only inside secure buildings. They will be unarmed and have a uniform consisting of grey dress pants and a navy blue blazer. Their job will include assisting “those who protect the House and Senate community as we continue to safely re-open the Capitol complex” as officers “focus on their critical mission.”
The Capital Police assured the outlet that the deployment would be temporary.
Staff shortages were also blamed for delays to reopening the Capitol complex, which remains partially shut down. The complex was closed off to the public over two years ago due to Covid.
Phase one of the reopening began in March, with phase two planned for 30 May, including a partial reopening of the Capitol’s Visitor Center, a popular tourist destination.
In a statement, the Capitol Police assured that it was “aggressively” recruiting and training officers “to provide relief” to existing officers.
The agency did not provide any details about the cause of the staff shortage. The police forced received a massive funding bump last July after Congress passed a $2.1 billion emergency spending package for staffing and security upgrades to federal building infrastructure. The bump was big enough that it reportedly allowed the agency to establish branches in other cities and to begin functioning as its own separate intelligence agency.
At least four Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police officers committed suicide in the aftermath of the January 2021 Capitol riots. Last August, officers told lawmakers that they have been struggling with mental problems from the threats they faced during the 6 January mayhem.