posted July 07, 2021 07:23 PM            

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/u- s-capitol-police-to-open-california-office-following-jan-6-attack/ar-AALQfGl?ocid=uxbndlbing

Home to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and other prominent members of Congress, California gives the law enforcement agency a Western base to investigate claims of threats made against members. The state is also home to the nation's largest congressional delegation.

Other changes, spurred in part by congressional investigations and reports by the department's internal watchdog, include increased training for officers alongside the National Guard, improved intelligence-gathering efforts and protocols for reporting sensitive information, and new equipment and technology for officers.

The police agency rarely provides information to the public on how it operates, citing security concerns and member safety. For example, unlike other government agencies, the internal watchdog's reports are not publicly available.

A spokesperson did not answer questions Tuesday about how many staff would be hired or what the cost to taxpayers would be.

posted July 15, 2021 08:54 PM            

http://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/0 7/capitol-police-to-use-army-surveillance-gear-to-monitor-americans-and-identify-emerging-threats/

U.S. Capitol Police will start using Army surveillance equipment to monitor Americans as part of a larger effort to improve security and turn the force into “an intelligence-based protective agency” in the wake of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Last week, the USCP took possession of eight Persistent Surveillance Systems Ground – Medium (PSSG-M) units, fulfilling a request that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved on June 2. The units capture high-definition video and include night vision, but do not feature facial recognition capabilities.

The Army will install the units and train Capitol Police on how to operate the systems, the Pentagon said.

A report from Roll Call last summer noted that the USCP is currently exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) because it is part of the legislative branch, giving it a level of secrecy and a lack of established accountability methods that aren’t the case for other law enforcement agencies.