Capitol Police cameras captured the break-in at the Pelosis’ San Francisco home but no one was watching at the time, The Washington Post reports.
Capitol officers cycling through live feeds from about 1,800 cameras did not notice anything until they saw police lights flashing outside the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The cameras captured the moment a man with a hammer broke a glass panel in the backdoor and entered the home but the footage was only seen after the attack.
Capitol Police cameras were first installed at Pelosi’s home eight years ago and she has round-the-clock security that was with her in D.C. at the time of the attack.
After she returned to DC, officers in D.C. stopped continuously monitoring video feeds outside her home, according to the report.
Reforms:
In the wake of the attack, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said that the department is on track to hire 280 more officers this year but the “political climate” is going to necessitate “additional layers of physical security.”
Manger said the department would add “redundancies” to measures already in place to protect congressional leaders.
The moves come after the number of threats against lawmakers recorded by the department rose from 900 cases in 2016 before Trump’s presidency to 9,600 in 2021.
Legislation?:
Lawmakers have had informal discussions about adding additional security measures to a government funding bill before the end of the year, though no proposal is expected before the midterms next week.
Congress after the Jan. 6 attack provided lawmakers up to $10,000 to set up security systems in their homes and have approved budgets to pay for private security.
Some Republicans are also eager to enhance security for lawmakers, including Illinois Republican Rodney Hood, who survived the 2017 shooting on a Congressional baseball game.
“Democrats need to work with the sergeant-at-arms office to immediately expedite security upgrades at homes of interested members,” he said. “I’ve witnessed political violence first hand, and security needs to be a priority for all members back home.”
