Appropriations subcommittee presses U.S. Capitol Police on screening failures; chief outlines training and AI upgrades

At a House Appropriations Subcommittee oversight hearing, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said recent security lapses at screening points were caused by human error and described a suite of near-term changes intended to reduce future breaches.

"Any security failure is of grave concern to both me and my officers. These failures will not be tolerated," Chief Thomas Manger told the subcommittee as he summarized written testimony submitted for the record.

The changes Manger described include mandatory refresher training for screening officers with a required test twice a year; a supervisory requirement that sergeants document visits to screening posts three times per shift; a virtual audit program using Capitol Police cameras to randomly monitor screening posts; restructuring of post rotations to reduce officer fatigue and complacency; and further software improvements to x-ray machines that use artificial intelligence.

"None of these screening failures that occurred this year were as a result of technology or equipment failures. They were human error," Manger said, adding that AI already installed on x-ray machines in 2024 will be further developed to provide a "more dramatic visual alert and…