Capitol Police lack "adequate resources" to investigate a surge in new threats, watchdog finds

Threats have surged against the people and property that Capitol Police are charged with protecting, according to the most recent report by the department's inspector general, which also found the department did not have "adequate resources" to analyze and investigate the rising risks.

The April report, obtained first by CBS News, revealed that the number of threat cases increased from 171 in 2017 to 586 in 2020 and have already topped 200 through the first three months of the year. The department views a threat as "a communication or action showing clear or implied intent to inflict physical, psychological, or other harm," including those targeted at lawmakers and the Capitol building itself.  So-called "Direction of Interest" cases also shot up, nearly doubling since 2017, to 8,778. These are cases "where a subject expresses an unusual interest in any person or property under USCP jurisdiction," such as through disturbing social media posts, stalking, or harassment.