Capitol Police tell Roll Call that they’ve dramatically “widened the net” since last year’s Congressional baseball shooting, and that Members of Congress are being watched more closely, particularly in light of recent calls to use violence and harassment as political tools.
The agency says it has been engaged for more than 400 events, often partnering with local law enforcement to protect members of Congress who attend local meetings and interact with the community outside of the Capitol building.
But it’s not just event management — Capitol Police say that the number of “credible threats” has increased dramatically, doubling in just the last two years as politics has become more partisan and activism less rational.
It’s become difficult for Capitol Police to manage the situation on their current budget. “We are always trying to balance between having adequate number of officers on post, with overtime and the restriction on that and being able to maintain security,” Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton told Congress last week.
They say they’re in such dire straits — and Congress under such threat — that the need to dramatically increase their budget, from $26.5 million to a whopping $435 million.
The issue drives home the fact that political violence — or, at least, the threat of political violence — has ramifications beyond just partisan cooperation. It’s going to hit Americans in the pocketbook.