US Capitol Police on Tuesday urged Americans to tone down divisive political language as the number of threats against lawmakers remains “too high.”
While threat investigations have generally declined over the past year, the force said the number is historically high.
In 2022, Capitol Police investigated 7,501 cases of direct statements and threats, down from an all-time high of 9,625 cases in 2021 and 8,613 in 2020, according to a news release.
“This has resulted in a much-needed expansion, not only of our investigative capabilities, but also of our protective responsibilities,” US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement.
Manger added that the best way to keep everyone safe is to “reduce violent political rhetoric across the country.”
The threat assessment comes more than two years after the deadly riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and months after the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at the couple’s San Francisco home in October. Nancy Pelosi was the intended target of David DePape, 42, who tried to hold the then-speaker hostage and “break her kneecap.”
Security cameras installed by Capitol Police at the property captured the break-in, but were not actively monitored at the time of the attack. In the wake of the incident, Manger called for more resources to increase safety for lawmakers.
Mario Scalora, a consultant psychologist for the US Capitol Police, attributed the overall increase in threats in recent decades to the widespread use of social media, where people “have a false sense of anonymity and feel more empowered.”
“This is not a problem we can’t get out of,” Scalora said.
Capitol Police said every member of Congress receives threats and that the numbers for the two parties are similar.
The force said it has hired its own lawyers and assigned them to the Justice Department “to work as prosecutors specializing in the unique types of threat cases facing Congress,” although their work is unrelated to Jan. 6.
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