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No. 2 Capitol Police official resigns amid turmoil at department


Chad Thomas, the No. 2 Capitol Police official overseeing most of its uniformed officers, resigned from his position Monday as the department attempts to chart a path forward after the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to congressional and Capitol Police sources.

His departure comes as watchdogs urge the department to shift its posture from that of a police force to more of an intelligence-gathering and protective agency for members of Congress and as rank-and-file officers express frustration with current leadership.

Thomas, a veteran member of the department who first joined the Capitol Police in 1996, served as its assistant chief of police for uniformed operations. He was first appointed to the role in an acting capacity in 2019.

Thomas would be “separating from the Department,” according to a memo from Capitol Police Chief of Staff Salley Wood obtained by POLITICO. Wood thanked him for his service and noted the department’s plans “to bring in additional resources to assist with the enhancement of its Uniformed Operations in the coming weeks.”

Rank-and-file officers have expressed their dissatisfaction with top Capitol Police leadership, including Thomas and acting chief Yogananda Pittman. In a February union ballot, 96 percent of voting officers gave Thomas a vote of no confidence and 92 percent rebuked Pittman.

Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund resigned after the insurrection, and Pittman has served in an acting capacity since then. The Capitol Police Board announced its search for a new chief at the end of April, with an expected selection by “early summer.” The Board has not signaled whether it will select her as a permanent replacement given the opposition of rank-and-file officers and her previous position as the head of the Capitol Police’s intelligence division during the insurrection.

The departure also came just ahead of an expected congressional report this week on the Jan. 6 insurrection — an account likely to highlight failures within departmental leadership during the attack.

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Author: POLITICO