The new chief of U.S. Capitol Police, Michael Sullivan, was sworn in a little over a month ago. Now that he’s got his footing, he’s been subject to rapid-fire changes from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Amid a shifting landscape in law enforcement in the nation’s capital, Sullivan told WTOP’s Nick Iannelli that he’s adjusting and has his priorities in check.
“We welcome any assistance that we can have to make this community safer. To have extra resources here, we’re looking forward to working with those partners to make sure that we continue to keep the Hill safe,” he said.
Sullivan previously worked in police departments in Baltimore, Louisville and Phoenix, and said in every city, “I’ve done surges with federal law enforcement.” He said the deployment of the National Guard and the increased presence of federal officers on the streets “benefits everybody.”
“If you do it right, you certainly see some significant results, but you also have to be sensitive, because once everybody pulls out, we still have to work with communities. So maintaining that community trust is going to be critically important as we go forward,” Sullivan said.
In regard to the changes in law enforcement in D.C., Sullivan only noted that U.S. Capitol Police reports to Congress and serves to be “apolitical in the process.”
Sullivan takes over the top role from former Chief Thomas Manger, who, during his time in the position, swore to make the department stronger after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Manger successfully closed all 103 recommendations sent to the agency by the Office of Inspector General following the Jan. 6 attack, implemented strategies for retention, built a new Intelligence Bureau and expanded the agency’s medical program.
“I’m focused on making sure that when I leave this place, that I’m leaving in a much better situation than I found it,” Sullivan said of his goal in the department. “One of the things that Chief Manger set up was a really strong intelligence based network within the U.S. Capitol Police that we didn’t have before Jan. 6. We don’t have to rely on other agencies; matter of fact, we provide intelligence to other agencies now.”
Sullivan added that he wants to improve their intelligence network “because that’s how you prevent things from happening, is making sure that you get ahead of it.”
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.
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