“We decided that for walk-ins — that would be constituents who haven’t made a prior appointment with us — we’re just going to try our best to conduct
“We decided that for walk-ins — that would be constituents who haven’t made a prior appointment with us — we’re just going to try our best to conduct business through the intercom as much as possible, unless we have an established relationship with the constituent,” Ms. Lennon said.
Representative Dan Kildee, Democrat of Michigan, said his chief of staff, Mitchell Rivard, had reached out to the House Chiefs of Staff Association to urge top aides to discuss safety practices with their district offices.
“We’re going to do what we can in order to minimize the risks that they face,” Mr. Kildee said.
Since 2017, members of Congress have been allowed to request additional security measures for district offices from the sergeant-at-arms, the chamber’s top law enforcement officer, at no cost, according to a senior Republican aide who insisted on anonymity to discuss security issues. The House sergeant-at-arms has covered the cost of installation and monthly fees for security systems in district offices, including features such as intercoms, motion sensors, cameras, panic buttons, and glass-breaking detection, the aide said.
The sergeant-at-arms can also conduct safety assessments for district offices, at the request of lawmakers. In addition, the office has been looking to increase its contracts with local police departments to provide additional security for members when they return to their home districts.
Members can also use funding set aside by Congress for office operating expenses for security purposes. Many have also dipped into their campaign funds in order to finance such measures. According to a New York Times analysis, members of Congress spent more than $6 million on security from January 2021 to September 2022.
In addition, amid lawmakers’ calls for additional safety measures, the House sergeant-at-arms created a program in July 2022 that provided $10,000 for members to secure their residences. The Capitol Police also hired a new intelligence director to improve data collection and sharing, has provided security assessments on members’ homes and district offices, and opened two field offices in Florida and California.
Still, the force has struggled with the influx of threats amid severe strains on the department even as funding for the agency has grown in recent years.
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