US Capitol Police on Tuesday urged Americans to tone down divisive political language, as the number of threats against congressional lawmakers remains “extremely high.”
While overall threat investigations have decreased in the past year, the force says the number is too high.
In 2022, Capitol Police investigated 7,501 cases related to statements and direct threats, down from 9,625 cases in 2021, and 8,613 in 2020, according to a press release.
“This has resulted in a necessary expansion, not only of investigative capabilities, but also of protective responsibilities,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement.
Manger added that the best way to ensure everyone’s safety is to “reduce violent political rhetoric across the country.”
The threat assessment comes more than two years after the uprising on January 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 is the target of 42-year-old David DePape, who wants to hold the speaker hostage and “break her knees.”
Security cameras installed by Capitol Police at the property captured the break-in but were not actively monitored at the time of the attack. Manger called for more resources after the incident to increase security for lawmakers.
Mario Scalora, a consulting psychologist for the US Capitol Police, attributed the overall threat in the past decades to the widespread use of social media, where people “have a false sense of anonymity and feel more empowered.”
“It’s not a problem, we can just grab the road,” said Scalora.
Capitol Police say every member of Congress has received threats, and the numbers in both parties are equal.
The force said it had hired its own attorney and assigned it to the Justice Department “to serve as a prosecutor specializing in the unique type of threat cases facing Congress,” although his work was unrelated to Jan. 6.