(WASHINGTON) — The Capitol Police Department has a new chief, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
They confirmed to ABC News that J. Thomas Manger has been selected to be the leader of the department.
Manger has previously served as the police chief in Montgomery County, Maryland, and in Fairfax County, Virginia. He was also the president of the Major City Chiefs of Police Association.
Capitol Police referred questions from ABC News to the Capitol Police Board which picks the new chief.
He replaces acting Chief Yogananda Pittman.
Pittman was in charge of the department’s Intelligence Division before accepting the job as acting chief following the January attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A Jan. 6 rally in support of then-President Donald Trump turned deadly after Trump encouraged his supporters to march to Capitol Hill, where Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden’s election win.
Rioters breached barricades and security checkpoints, forcing Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress to evacuate or shelter in place and temporarily disrupting the certification.
Five people, including Sicknick, died during or after the riot, 140 police officers were injured and there was approximately $1.5 million in damage done to the Capitol building.
Six months after the riot, Capitol Police touted the changes the agency had made to better prepare for such incidents.
In a letter released by the Capitol Police earlier this month, Pittman paid tribute to the officers who lost their lives defending the Capitol in January and charted a path forward for the agency.
“We will never forget USCP Officers Brian Sicknick and Howie Liebengood, who died after the attack, nor the sacrifices of the nearly 150 law enforcement officers who were injured,” she wrote. “Throughout the last six months, the United States Capitol Police has been working around the clock with our Congressional stakeholders to support our officers, enhance security around the Capitol Complex, and pivot towards an intelligence-based protective agency.”
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.