Capitol Police to Open Offices in California and Florida ‘to Investigate Threats to Members of Congress’

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) plans to open regional offices to deal with threats to members of Congress.

The story: The police agency announced on Tuesday that it intends to open regional offices in Florida and California, citing increased threats to members of Congress in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

According to Capitol Police, the total threats so far in 2021 are double what they were at this point last year.

The USPC expects to open offices in other states “in near future” as well, according to acting USCP Chief Yogananda Pittman’s statement.

The USCP explained in a later statement to Fox News that the officers will be in Tampa and San Francisco areas. They said the agency chose these places because of the number of threats there.

“The new USCP field offices will be in the Tampa and San Francisco areas. At this time, Florida and California are where the majority of our potential threats are,” the U.S. Capitol Police statement to the network. “The field offices will be the first for the Department. A regional approach to investigating and prosecuting threats against Members is important, so we will be working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in those locations. More field offices will be opening in the future.”

The press release further listed ways in which the Capitol Police have worked to improve safety in response to the Jan. 6 riot.

“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,” Pittman said.

These changes include bringing in organizations specialized in dealing with psychological trauma and stress. developing an “internal peer support program,” increased training for officers alongside the National Guard, new equipment and technology for officers, and improved protocols for reporting sensitive information, among other things.