US Capitol Police chief says he expects authorities will respond to roughly 9,000 threats against members of Congress this year

• Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger says he expects close to 9,000 threats against congressmembers this year.
• The new chief took over in July and is tasked with ensuring that a similar breach doesn't happen again.
• Manger also said he's seen a surge in applications to join the US Capitol Police.

US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told the Associated Press in an interview that he expects that authorities will have to respond to close to 9,000 threats against members of Congress this year, holding steady with the number of threats that faced members last year.

"We have never had the level of threats against members of Congress that we're seeing today," Manger told the AP. "Clearly, we've got a bigger job in terms of the protection aspect of our responsibilities, we've got a bigger job than we used to."

Manger took on the job in July, months following the resignation of Steven Sund in the wake of the January 6th assault on the US Capitol, which has resulted in the deaths of 9 people.

In May of this year, Capitol Police said in a statement that "there has been a 107% increase in threats against Members compared to 2020" and that the force handled "approximately 9,000 cases" in 2020. The AP notes that more than 4,100 cases had been reported during the first three months of 2021.

Manger also said the forces "cannot afford to be complacent," while defending the forces' response to the "Justice for J6" rally held on September 18, a gathering of people in support of defendants charged with "nonviolent offenses" in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, which ultimately saw sparse turnout.

The police chief, who has led police departments in both Maryland and Virginia, said that the decision about whether to put up fencing around the Capitol for future protests will "depend on the potential for violence at a particular demonstration."

Manger also said that Capitol police forces have seen a surge in applications to join the force in the wake of January 6, likening it to a flood of applications for police and firefighters jobs in the wake of 9/11.