[Senate Hearing 115-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
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TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met at 4:05 p.m., in room SD-138, Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Hon. Steve Daines (Chairman) presiding.
Present: Senators Daines, Hyde-Smith, Murphy, and Van
Hollen.
UNITED STATES SENATE SERGEANT AT ARMS
STATEMENT OF HON. MICHAEL STENGER, SERGEANT AT ARMS
ACCOMPANIED BY:
JIM MORHARD, DEPUTY SERGEANT AT ARMS
DICK ATTRIDGE, ASSISTANT SERGEANT AT ARMS FOR PROTECTIVE
SERVICES AND CONTINUITY
JOHN JEWELL, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
KRISTA BEAL, CAPITOL OPERATIONS
MIKE CHANDLER, OPERATIONS
TERENCE LILEY, GENERAL COUNSEL
ROBIN GALLANT, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR STEVE DAINES
Senator Daines. Good afternoon. The subcommittee will come
to order. Welcome to the third of our fiscal year 2019 budget
hearings for the Legislative Branch Appropriations
Subcommittee.
We have with us today the Honorable Michael Stenger, the
newly appointed Sergeant at Arms, and Chief Matthew Verderosa,
Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.
I want to sincerely thank both of you for being here today,
and I want to welcome Mr. Stenger to your first hearing before
this subcommittee.
Both the Capitol Police and the Sergeant at Arms work to
ensure the smooth operation of the legislative process. You
enable us to more effectively do our job by protecting the
Capitol campus and our State offices in providing training on
matters from emergency preparedness to cybersecurity so that we
have the capability to protect ourselves as well. We truly
appreciate the work that you do.
The Sergeant at Arms' request for fiscal year 2019 is
$210.7 million, an increase of approximately $2.1 million above
the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. The request includes $84.2
million for salaries and benefits, and a request of $126.6
million for expenses. The request continues cybersecurity
initiatives to protect our network and educate end-users, and
provides support for the day-to-day operations of the Senate.
The Capitol Police requests a total of $456.4 million, an
increase of $29.9 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted
level. Of the funding requested, $374.8 million is for salaries
and benefits to cover fixed cost increases for pay and benefits
of existing staff, an additional 72 sworn officers, as well as
21 civilians, for a total force of 2,015 sworn officers and 441
civilians.
The request for the general expenses account is $81.6
million, an increase of $6.8 million above the fiscal year 2018
enacted level. This increase supports replacement of body armor
and weapons, as well as mission-essential training for
officers.
The request supports continued growth of the force for new
mission requirements and increasing protection of the campus. I
look forward to gaining a better understanding of your needs to
fulfill these requirements here today.
Now, I would like to turn to my ranking member, Senator
Murphy, for any opening remarks he may like to make.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR CHRISTOPHER MURPHY
Senator Murphy. Thank you very much, Chairman Daines.
Welcome to both of you. Mr. Stenger, congratulations on
your new role. Chief Verderosa, thank you for everything you do
every day.
I cannot say it better than the Chairman. Nothing that we
do here, none of the experiences that visitors to the Capitol
Complex have, mean a thing unless they and we are safe. You
spend every day thinking about how to preserve the safety of
Members, our staff, and the public, so I primarily want to use
my time to say thank you once again for all the great work that
you do, and I look forward to your testimony and questions.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Daines. Senator Hyde-Smith.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR CINDY HYDE-SMITH
Senator Hyde-Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for convening
the hearing.
Thank you guys for being here. I am the new one, so you
just went through the briefing with me, and you were so
thorough. I really appreciate everything you did to make sure I
was aware of the needs and the protocol, should something
arise.
You are just so critical with the entire Complex, in
keeping us safe and ensuring that operations are run well and
organized. Your offices sure make it feel better when I have
visitors to come in, and I know they are in a safe environment.
I realize that it is National Police Week, so I just want
to say thank you for your sincere commitment of what you do,
for the U.S. Capitol Police and the Sergeant at Arms, because
we know how vital and important your work is. I, for one,
appreciate what you do and the way you handle your jobs.
Thank you very much.
Senator Daines. Thank you, Senator Hyde-Smith.
I would like to ask the witnesses, beginning with Mr.
Stenger, to give a brief opening statement of approximately 5
minutes.
Mr. Stenger.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF HON. MICHAEL STENGER
Mr. Stenger. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy,
distinguished Members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today and present the Sergeant
at Arms 2019 budget request.
Mr. Chairman, this budget request reflects a modest
increase of 1 percent over the fiscal year 2018 enacted budget.
The increase to our salary budget includes nine contracted
full-time equivalent (FTE) conversions and inclusion of a Chief
of Data Security.
I would like to thank the subcommittee for its support in
providing funding for our initiatives. The Sergeant at Arms
provides critical safety planning and support to ensure the
legislative process goes unimpeded. I can provide this planning
and support because of the talented leadership I have behind
me, Jim Morhard, my Deputy; Assistant Sergeants at Arms Dick
Attridge, John Jewell, Krista Beal, and Mike Chandler; as well
as Terence Liley, my General Counsel; and Robin Gallant, my
Chief Financial Officer.
In this budget, we are taking a strategic view as it
relates to the safety and security of the Senate. We remain
focused on ways to adjust to the challenges of today's evolving
security environment, as our adversaries change their tactics,
techniques, and methods.
In order to ensure the safety of the Senate campus, my
security planning and police operations directorate provides
direct support to the Senate community by monitoring and
reporting on emergencies. We accomplish this through our
staffing in the Capitol Police Command Center during all hours
that the Senate is in-session. In 2017, we monitored over 360
such incidents and provided timely feedback to the Senate
staff.
This directorate is also home to the State Office Readiness
Program, which provides security enhancements to the 473 State
offices. They also provide training for State staff through
webinars, video teleconferencing, and in-person visits on
topics such as active threats and security awareness.
My Intelligence and Protective Services Director works with
Senate offices to coordinate public event schedules with the
Capitol Police. Together, they develop protective security
strategies to ensure the safety and security of the Senators
and their staff when planning and attending public events.
During 2017, we successfully provided Intelligence and
Protective Services guidance, law enforcement coordination,
assessment, and support for 147 public events that Senators
attended.
The CIO office continues to focus on addressing threats in
the cyber domain. We appreciate the committee's support during
fiscal year 2018, funding our 33 contractor-to-FTE conversions
and the 23 new FTEs to bolster our cyber capabilities.
We identified a need for additional resources in our
cybersecurity program when we moved from a reactive to a
proactive cybersecurity strategy. These additional FTEs
provided in the 2018 budget request are critical in bolstering
our cybersecurity preparedness and mitigation strategy.
Though cybersecurity begins with users, in 2017, we
constructed a robust cybersecurity awareness program providing
real-time, actionable information to users. While technical
solutions such as firewalls, antispyware, and antivirus
software aid in protecting Senate data, end-users are still the
first and most effective line of defense for protecting the
security of sensitive information.
To help ensure the Senate staff are best prepared for this
important responsibility, we provide cyber awareness sessions
to Member offices, including the State offices and committees.
During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we focused on
security awareness using social media applications, providing
cybersecurity training and resources, and implementing critical
overall cybersecurity strategy.
With the technologies we have procured, we are able to
provide cyber defenses against malicious messages while
providing advanced analyses of these messages. We also continue
to analyze and block malicious websites, files, and other
attacks on the Senate network. We will continue to reduce
cybersecurity risk through providing more frequent and improved
reports to Senate offices.
Finally, we continue to build and maintain partnerships
with other agencies, organizations, and private industries
through information-sharing. These partnerships ensure that we
develop advanced and current solutions to counter the spread of
destructive malware. Coordination allows us to plan and train
for future cyberattacks.
We also provide day-to-day operational support for the
Senate. It is important to ensure that the Capitol facilities
meet the expectations of the Members and the public.
Our mail security and postal handling service is a critical
safety function for the Senate.
The Chamber operations recording studio and media gallery
support the ability for Senators to communicate with their
constituents and ensure transparency in the legislative
process.
We look forward to working closely with you and the
subcommittee staff. I will be happy to answer any questions
that you may have.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Michael Stenger
introduction
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the
subcommittee, thank you for allowing me to testify today. I am pleased
to report on the progress of the Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms
(SAA) and our plans to enhance our service to the Senate.
For fiscal year 2019, the SAA requests a total budget of
$210,752,000. This request represents a modest 1 percent increase from
the fiscal year 2018 enacted budget. Since that time, we have realized
significant cost savings from staff buyouts completed in 2013 and 2016
and from rigorous contract management and restructuring, while
continuing to provide critical, high-quality services the Senate
community has come to expect. Our customer satisfaction levels remain
high and we remain good stewards of the funds entrusted to us.
Leading the efforts of the SAA is an outstanding senior management
team, including my Deputy Jim Morhard; Assistant SAAs Dick Attridge
(Protective Services and Continuity), John Jewell (Chief Information
Officer), Mike Chandler (Operations), and Krista Beal (Capitol
Operations); General Counsel Terence Liley; and Chief Financial Officer
Robin Gallant. The many goals and accomplishments set forth in this
testimony would not have been possible without this team's leadership
and commitment, as well as the dedication of the women and men who work
for the Senate SAA office.
protective services and continuity
Emergency Preparedness
We designed our plans and procedures to safeguard the life safety
of Senators, staff, and visitors by equipping them with the tools and
training to respond to emergencies. Our primary objective is to ensure
the Senate continues its essential functions following emergency
events.
During 2017, the Emergency Preparedness office worked with Senate
offices to update 106 Emergency Action Plans using guidelines from the
Congressional Accountability Act. We supplied kits, annunciators, and
escape hoods, as well as ensuring Member suites displayed evacuation
maps with routes and elevator locations for mobility-impaired
individuals. New Member offices received personalized training on
emergency preparedness procedures, personnel accountability, and
equipment use. We distributed Emergency Preparedness Quick Reference
Guides to familiarize Members and Office Emergency Coordinators with
critical information about responding to threatening situations and
emergency events, and to highlight key actions necessary during life
safety events. We also assisted 26 Member offices and committees with
drafting Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans, strengthening the
Senate's ability to continue performing its essential functions during
and after disruptive events.
We conducted 280 classes, training over 3,800 staff on a variety of
topics including responding to active shooters, protective actions,
emergency action planning, and ALERTs/Remote Check-in procedures. The
``Responding to an Active Shooter'' class taught with the U.S. Capitol
Police (USCP) provided participants with an understanding on how to
react and what to expect from law enforcement. Moreover, we hosted more
than 180 visitors at our annual Preparedness Fair, which provided
information about resources available in the National Capital Region.
The readiness and protection of Senators, staff, and visitors
within the Senate Chamber continues to be a primary focus. We worked
with USCP to conduct a full-scale exercise to validate the Chamber
Emergency Action Guide. The exercise included more than 250
participants, many from Member offices. Participants responded to a
variety of scenarios, including aircraft intrusion, rapid building
evacuation, and active shooter simulation inside the Chamber, all
resulting in staff taking rapid protective measures.
We manage Alternate Chamber and Briefing Center planning efforts
for the Senate, and constantly aim to improve offsite capabilities
should relocation become necessary. We conducted a multi-day, full-
scale exercise of the Alternate Chamber at Ft. McNair to confirm the
location's viability. This exercise included participation from
approximately 40 Member offices and committees. The Emergency
Preparedness office also developed and implemented the Capitol Visitor
Center (CVC) COOP Program, allowing the Senate to use this space during
a continuity event.
In collaboration with USCP, we continue to conduct annual
evacuation, shelter in place, and internal relocation drills to
familiarize staff with effective life safety responses in emergencies.
We supported more than 30 drills that included the Capitol, CVC, Senate
office buildings, Senate Page School, Employee Child Care Center, and
Postal Square. Many of these exercises were ``no notice'' to create a
more realistic response to emergency events. In fiscal year 2017, we
conducted our first aircraft security threat evacuation drill for
Senate office buildings, requiring staff to evacuate their buildings
and move farther away from the Capitol than they normally would. We
also conducted an internal relocation drill during a non-recess week to
evaluate realistic staff levels that would relocate to these sites.
Feedback from both exercises was overwhelmingly positive and we were
able to make improvements to our plans based on lessons learned.
We partnered with the USCP, House, and Architect of the Capitol
(AOC) to acquire and roll out the Joint Emergency Mass Notification
System (JEMNS), the first joint alert notification system on Capitol
Hill. JEMNS adds desktop pop-up features and smartphone applications to
convey critical life safety notifications to the Capitol Hill
community. The final product eliminates the need for legacy
notification systems, saving the Senate approximately $400,000 a year.
In 2018, JEMNS will be expanded to include the Library of Congress
(LOC). During fiscal year 2019 we will lead the Joint Audible Warning
System (JAWS) project to replace the outdated annunciator system in
order to project audible life safety alerts throughout office spaces.
JAWS will make it easier for USCP officers to communicate life safety
messages in areas not supported by the Public Address System. Project
expenses will be shared with the House, USCP, AOC, and LOC, allowing
for potential volume discounts and reduced infrastructure costs.
To ensure we can handle call volumes from friends and family of
staff affected by a mass casualty event, we led an effort between the
Senate, House, USCP, and AOC to award a joint contract for
comprehensive Call Center services at a cost savings to all
stakeholders.
Staff communications, when executing emergency plans, remains key
in achieving successful outcomes, especially while deployed at
continuity sites. We are finalizing plans to modernize an outdated
radio system and permit multi-agency interactions on encrypted
equipment during exercises and real-world events. We are working with
executive branch agencies to acquire secure, interoperable mobile
devices that provide classified communication capabilities for officers
and emergency response staff. We are also collaborating with the House,
USCP, AOC, and LOC to update and manage joint continuity communications
plans and procedures.
Finally, to improve the ability to prepare for and respond to life
safety and COOP events, we are converting several vendor support staff
to full-time employees, eliminating two major contracts valued at
$900,000 and saving approximately $100,000 annually. This conversion
will allow us to better retain talented staff and add capabilities and
skillsets for unclassified continuity facilities and life safety
emergency planning.
Contingency Programs
My team continues to develop and refine contingency plans in
collaboration with the Joint Congressional Continuity Board and with
executive branch agencies to sustain a common approach to preparedness.
We developed an inter-branch Memorandum of Agreement ensuring
organizational interests are represented across the continuity arena.
Further, the completion of a Joint Congressional Continuity Strategy
document was a major milestone achieved last year, to ensure Congress
can meet its Constitutional obligations and perform its essential
functions under any circumstances. Another successful continuity
initiative includes the completion of robust contingency site plans and
expanded site capabilities stemming from collaboration between the
Senate, House, and USCP. We are making significant progress on
developing an austere capability that greatly improves the Senate's
readiness posture.
We continue managing a comprehensive Senate exercise program to
routinely practice and validate plans. Last year, we conducted 23
exercises covering all aspects of continuity, including Mobile Assets,
Alternate Chamber, Chamber Protective Actions, Emergency Operations
Center, Briefing Center, communications, transportation, continuity
staffing, evacuations, internal relocation, shelter in place, alert
notifications, and continuity of government. Our planners provide an
objective, independent analysis of life safety and continuity programs
and assist in the validation and improvement of actionable plans by
identifying strengths, weaknesses, and lessons learned through no-fault
environments. This approach ensures program objectives are met in a
manner that continues to benefit Members and staff.
Security Planning and Police Operations
This office provides security and law enforcement support for the
Senate community in Washington, DC, and over 450 State offices. In
fiscal year 2017, we coordinated 1,508 Senate campus access requests--
an increase of 8 percent. Further, we worked with the Committee on
Rules and Administration and USCP to publish numerous door and
barricade restrictions during recess periods, special events, and
holidays. Additionally, we coordinated security coverage of 538
committee hearings, a 40 percent increase over the previous year, and
conducted four Member residential security assessments.
We also provide situational awareness through USCP Command Center
support. During fiscal year 2018 we transitioned from a contract to
full-time staff who are on duty while the Senate is in session and
during periods of recess. Approximately 480 incidents and events, a 31
percent increase over the previous year, were monitored through this
program last year. Security oversight and coverage during the
Inauguration, State of the Union address, summer concert series, and
various joint sessions of Congress was also conducted.
The State Office Readiness Program provides security systems and
enhanced office security construction designs--as well as preparedness
equipment, training, and services--to approximately 450 State offices
without impacting Member office budgets. During 2017, the program
provided physical security enhancements to 35 new Member State offices,
as well as enhanced security in 21 existing offices. The program also
trained nearly 300 Office Emergency Coordinators, staff, and interns
through 24 online classes and webinars. We continue supporting State
offices to comply with the Congressional Accountability Act in their
emergency action and Continuity of Operations plans through coordinated
development and storage of their master documents. In 2018, we will
initiate a program to notify State offices of potential protest
activity.
Intelligence and Protective Services
We recognize the value of maintaining collaborative partnerships
with various Federal, State, and local law enforcement, intelligence,
and force protection entities to synchronize information, identify
security risks, monitor threat streams, and maintain situational
awareness. This ensures appropriate mitigation and prevention
strategies are deployed for protecting the safety and security of the
Senate, domestically and abroad.
Growing social media platforms and the availability of open source
materials has allowed individuals to spread malicious intents and
activities to a wide-ranging audience. Intelligence and Protective
Services thus proactively monitors and analyzes platforms for potential
threat activity as well as engages with community partners and subject
matter experts to maintain security-related situational awareness in an
effort to deter malicious acts against Members, their families, staff,
and associated locations.
Our office collaborates with USCP and other law enforcement to
ensure appropriate outreach and coordination for specifically targeted
Members and staff. Further, we monitor, evaluate, and conduct
vulnerability, risk, and threat assessments to determine and apply
suitable security measures and protective operations coverage. We
conduct situational awareness outreach for the Senate community
regarding significant upcoming events or planned activities around the
Capitol complex and State offices to prevent adverse impacts to Senate
business. Finally, we partner with USCP and other agencies to support
contingency and oversee security operations planning to ensure incident
management and response action plans are in place.
information technology
Cybersecurity and Response
The SAA is in the third year of transforming the Cybersecurity
Program from being reactive to becoming proactive. In 2016, gap
analysis identified personnel and process shortfalls subsequently
addressed in the 2018 budget request. We intend to capitalize on this
throughout 2018 and 2019 with the additional FTEs provided in the
fiscal year 2018 budget request.
We continue to focus our efforts on cyber threats. Last year, we
implemented a robust Cybersecurity Awareness Program providing real-
time, actionable information to users. While technical solutions such
as firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus go a long way toward
protecting information, end-users are still the first and most
effective line of defense.
To help ensure Senate staff are best prepared for this important
responsibility, we provide Cyber Awareness sessions to member offices,
to include State offices, and committees. For example, we sponsored the
October Cybersecurity Awareness Month focusing on social media topics
to instill security awareness when using these applications. Throughout
2018 and 2019, we will continue to increase training and resources to
the Senate offices.
We are undergoing a shift in focus toward cybersecurity risk in
2018 and will provide risk reports to assist offices in lowering their
risk. In 2017, we provided 86 reports, identifying vulnerabilities
requiring remediation, to Member offices. Throughout 2018 and 2019, we
will refine and improve this reporting by conducting cybersecurity
audits and identifying personnel requiring cybersecurity training.
These audits will identify and measure vulnerabilities based on risk.
Further, we will have audits performed on the Cybersecurity Department
to determine how effectively the Cyber Security Operations Center can
detect, react, and recover from cyber threats. This will provide
leadership a more holistic review as to the resiliency of the entire
Cybersecurity Program.
CIO Security Enhancements
We are working with offices on the multi-factor authentication
effort to identify business needs for enhanced security. This past
year, we worked with office representatives to understand their
concerns and requirements. We then surveyed the marketplace for
possible solutions. We are developing a procurement strategy to
identify the best solutions for the Senate.
In response to office requirements, the SAA conducted an analysis
for a Credential Management Solution. We validated the requirements
with Member and committee offices and SAA stakeholders. We selected and
implemented a solution to secure and manage passwords and other user
authentication information based on the Senate's business and technical
requirements. The Credential Management service was made available to
all offices in March 2018.
In response to an ongoing need for increased security of privileged
accounts, we expanded enrollment of SAA staff credentials with
administrative access to highly valuable data into our Privileged
Access Management solution (PAM). PAM significantly increases the
security posture of Senate information systems, protecting the most
sensitive data by limiting exposure of privileged credentials and
protecting access to those credentials with two-factor authentication.
We have fully enrolled user credentials for all administrators of our
network authentication, messaging, enterprise mobility management, and
Virtual Machine Infrastructure systems, as well as the administrators
of numerous cybersecurity threat detection and management systems. We
are expanding PAM services to offices for the protection of their most
sensitive systems administration accounts, including the accounts used
to administer their Constituent Services Systems.
We maintain the digital identity data that supports IT-related
business requirements of the Senate. In maintaining the authoritative
source of digital identity data for the Senate community, we process
over 8,000 identity requests and credential matching tasks annually.
The mature Identity and Access Management (IAM) program under
development will enhance data security by centralizing the on-boarding,
identity maintenance, access, and de-provisioning of identities
requiring access to applicable Senate systems. We are beginning the
multi-year implementation of a software suite that will automate 90
percent of the aggregation tasks (identity requests and credential
matching). Automating on-boarding, de-provisioning, and digital
identity lifecycle tasks will greatly improve the productivity of
Senate offices by reducing the administrative burden associated with
hiring, terminating, and transferring personnel.
The CIO supports the IT portion of our Continuity of Operations
programs through a variety of IT-related functions. This support
includes our Mobile Communication Vehicles, network and phone
communications for Alternate Chamber Operations, Leadership
Coordination Centers, Emergency Operations Centers, and Briefing
Centers.
Enterprise and Network Services
We remain focused on increasing connectivity speed in both the
State Senate offices and the Senate DC campus. We have completed the
migration to broadband Internet service for State offices, providing
these offices significant increases in bandwidth at each of the 450-
plus locations. The increased bandwidth also supports emerging
technologies such as improved video conferencing capabilities. The
Senate wireless network comprises over 1,180 wireless access points
supporting, on average, 3,500 concurrent users per day in 12 campus
buildings and multiple State offices. State office access point
purchases have increased 30 percent over this last year. We have
installed just under 30 additional access points throughout the Senate
Complex and increased the 5 GHz channel width to improve the user
experience, adding additional redundancy and bandwidth.
As a part of our 5-year data center plan, we switched our primary
and alternate data centers, making our Virginia data center primary and
Capitol Hill data center the alternate to support continuing operations
plans. We are in the process of researching feasibility of moving our
alternate data center to a Legislative-owned building on Capitol Hill.
For 2018 and 2019, the focus will shift to adding additional redundancy
within the Senate data centers. We have begun by collapsing existing
network connections into single pairs of switches at each location and
aggregating all internal services. In addition, this will prepare the
network for the future where various systems will be sharing hardware,
allowing for more virtualization and elasticity.
Moving over 800 Virtual Machines to the new primary data center
positions the SAA to achieve improved uptime and greater system
resiliency. We upgraded the Senate's Virtual Machine Infrastructure
(VMI), which hosts over 1,100 virtual servers and supports nearly every
Senate application. We upgraded the software supporting the VMI
infrastructure, adding new functionality, additional redundancy,
enhanced disaster recovery capabilities and the ability to leverage
Multi-Factor Authentication. Additionally, we started the planning and
assessment process to upgrade the storage platform supporting the VMI.
The next storage solution will further improve performance, enabling
the CIO to virtualize even the most demanding applications. With the
recent improvements to the Senate's VMI, we are revisiting
consolidated, virtualized Constituent Services Systems solutions to
reduce the server footprint.
In response to office requests, we expanded our enterprise storage
services to include Media and Archive Storage (MAS), a cost-effective
solution for archival of high-capacity data. MAS provides scalable
storage fora variety of file formats and can be increased or decreased
based on current demand and usage. In contrast to traditional storage
procurement, MAS enables us to quickly and more precisely address
unknown capacity requirements that are subject to rapid change and pass
lower cost to offices utilizing the service.
Enterprise and System Development Services
We continue to work in partnership with the Secretary of the Senate
to modernize the Financial Management Information System. Several new
financial modules are scheduled for implementation this year, allowing
for the retirement of legacy system components. This multi-year joint
effort will continue until the financial system modernization is
completed. We continue to support operations and enhancements to the
PeopleSoft Senate Payroll System and Human Resources Information
System. We also developed a new feature for the Payroll Employee Self
Service to allow employees the option to stop receiving paper pay
advices, W2s, and Affordable Care Act forms in the mail.
We continue to manage shared resources to host office websites on
senate.gov. As part of the ongoing effort to modernize the underlying
senate.gov platform, we identified a solution to enable better
management of the shared resources while continuing to provide
flexibility and autonomy. This year, we completed the installation of
OpenShift Enterprise, enabling us to define website hosting
environments for each office with dedicated resources. Beginning in the
spring of this year, all new websites are being deployed on the modern
platform. We will continue capitalizing on this to best support our
customers.
TranSAAct is our platform for doing business online and addressing
the requirements of offices. Over the past year, we have continued to
add functionality to TranSAAct. We completed improvements to the
communications services requests and updated the ID request forms to
reflect new business processes and rules. We also added the ability to
review and request remote access tokens, updated the software
subscription renewal pages, updated billing presentment to be more
meaningful to committees; added service recipient profiles to reduce
redundant data entry and updated the underlying technologies to keep
pace with technology improvements. This year, we are working with
stakeholders to integrate changes related to the new technology catalog
and to make appropriate changes to TranSAAct based on new business
processes supporting a new Identity and Access Management system.
Office Application Manager (OAM) is a secure and replicated Web-
based application that provides Member offices and support
organizations the ability to create and manage customized online forms
such as service academy nominations and internship and fellowship
applications. It also includes tools to handle requests from
constituents and communicate back to them via email. In the last year,
we worked with Senate staff to enhance the questionnaire customization
functionality to allow offices the ability to create sub-questions so
answers are more informative. This new feature will improve the
offices' ability to receive more targeted and accurate responses from
applicants or requestors. To date, 67 offices and support organizations
have OAM accounts, with 480 questionnaires created.
IT Support Communications
The SAA is responsible for the digital signage located throughout
the Hart, Dirksen, and Russell buildings, under the direction of the
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. The digital signage
includes interactive directory services, hearing schedules, and future
graphical wayfinding capabilities and location based emergency
notifications. This multi-year project will expand the signage to
approximately 58 locations throughout the Senate office buildings,
located at entrances, stairwells, elevators, and other high-traffic
areas.
The much anticipated, multi-year effort to upgrade and modernize
the State office telephony infrastructure for all 450-plus State
offices is underway and the first 14 offices have been completed. It
will provide each State office with new hardware, increased
flexibility, a feature-rich voicemail platform, and additional security
at a lower cost. The SAA onsite installation experience is increasing
the SAA's view and understanding of the Senate offices' telephony
needs, as well as building strong working relationships with the office
staff.
We are beginning our implementation of Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP) trunk lines, which will remove our dependency on Verizon for
trunking, generating cost savings over the next several years. The
upgrade of several servers integral to the DC telephone switch will
allow us to improve support and be prepared for future technologies.
While our DC voicemail platform has been upgraded to allow for
additional features and redundancy, we are now working on expanding
capacity due to increased voicemail traffic. This upgrade will spilt
our voicemail platform into two separate clusters in order to dedicate
additional resources for voicemail traffic, allowing for maximum
capacity on each cluster while still maintaining the features,
functionality, and flexibility required to support Senate offices.
Our central IT Help Desk answers approximately 11,000 inquiries
from Senate users annually, taking trouble reports, and coordinating
the activities of technicians who resolve problems by phone, online,
and in person. During the past year, the installation team completed
more than 7,000 installation projects, received a 99 percent score on
timeliness, while the Help Desk resolved 48 percent of trouble tickets
during the initial call.
operations
Central Operations
Transportation and Fleet Operations
Transportation and Fleet Operations procures, manages, and
maintains Senate vehicles; operates the Senate Daily Shuttle service;
and provides the Senate with emergency transportation and logistics
support. The fleet includes trucks, vans, buses, SUVs, electric
vehicles, handicapped-accessible vehicles, and Segways. During fiscal
year 2019, we will focus on reducing older vehicle inventory with
newer, more efficient vehicles to better meet the needs of our
customers. In fiscal year 2017, staff transported more than 25,000
passengers through the SAA Shuttle service.
Photography Studio
The Photo Studio provides photography and photo imaging services
for Senate offices and committees. The studio manages and maintains the
Photo Browser application, which provides Senate offices a secure,
accessible archive of all photos accumulated during a Senator's term in
office. This application contains more than 1.5 million photo image
files. In 2017, staff photographed more than 100,000 images, produced
more than 64,000 photo prints, and coordinated end of term archiving of
more than 77,000 photo images for Senators.
Printing, Graphics and Direct Mail
Printing, Graphics and Direct Mail (PGDM) provides support to the
Senate community through graphic design, printing, photocopying,
mailing, document preservation, logistics, and security--completing
more than 45,900 job requests and 2,650 various deliveries throughout
the Capitol Hill campus and offsite locations during fiscal year 2017.
As a good steward of fiscal resources, PGDM garnered notable
savings for the Senate, including:
--Reducing equipment maintenance costs by $74,000 through re-
negotiating contracts.
--Saving more than $1.1 million by locally producing charts for
Senate floor proceedings and committee hearings in spite of a
12 percent increase in production.
--Saving more than $855,000 in postage by pre-sorting and discounting
3.7 million pieces of outgoing Senate franked mail.
Digital publications and multimedia are becoming an increasingly
important complement to printing. In fiscal year 2017, PGDM leveraged
applications such as Adobe Creative Suite to create and host rich
interactive HTML5 documents. PGDM can now create more integrated
campaigns by using digital technology and creating both print and
digital editions to extend our content delivery to computers, tablets,
and smartphones.
PGDM has incorporated electronic forms, allowing Senate offices to
efficiently convert paper-based processes (fax machines/fillable PDF
submissions) to web-based service. The electronic form provides
internal and external users a process to collect data efficiently and
accurately, while streamlining operations such as tracking, auditing,
and reporting, without having to invest in IT infrastructure or
software developers. In fiscal year 2017, the electronic State Office
Form allowed Senate DC and State offices the ability to submit over
1,700 forms containing monthly postal charges for financial accounting
purposes.
In fiscal year 2017, PGDM's Senate Support Facility upheld the SAA
mission for operational security by receiving 5,381,526 items from the
U.S. Capitol Police offsite inspection facility and transferring them
to the Senate Support Facility. This process eliminated 423 truck
deliveries to the Capitol Complex, reducing traffic and allowing the
USCP to focus on other aspects of safety.
Senate Post Office
The Senate Post Office's workforce tests and delivers mail and
packages to more than 180 locations within the Capitol Complex, while
providing a messenger service to multiple locations within the
Washington metropolitan area. In fiscal year 2017, the Senate Post
Office safely processed and delivered 11.9 million incoming mail items.
The Government Accountability Office reimbursed the SAA $11,000 for
screening their incoming U.S. Postal Service mail. The Senate Post
Office purchased 150 additional mail-screening workstations for Senate
State offices to replace older units. Additional mail screening
workstations will be purchased in the next year to ensure availability
of the most current equipment for all State staff.
Capitol Facilities
Capitol Facilities supports the work of the Senate by providing a
clean, professional environment in the Capitol for Senators, staff, and
visitors. Our Environmental Services Division cleans Capitol offices,
hallways, and restrooms; moves furniture for offices; and provides
special event setups for 15 meeting rooms in the Capitol and the Senate
Expansion space in the Capitol Visitor Center. The Furnishings Division
provides furnishings--including stock and custom furniture, carpeting,
and window treatments to Capitol offices. It also provides framing
services for Senate offices and committees. Focus continues on
realizing cost savings and improved efficiency, while not sacrificing
service. Capitol Facilities has combined job specialties and engaged in
cross-training employees to ensure services are maintained at the
highest level. Current initiatives include ongoing upgrades to our
online work order system to notify staff of new work orders, track
workloads, and provide 3D furnishing floorplans to Senators for use in
their Capitol offices.
Office Support Services
The State Office Liaison staff serve as the conduit between Senate
offices and commercial landlords, or the General Services
Administration for Senate offices in Federal facilities, overseeing 450
State offices. Managing this important program helps assure every
Senator's ability to meet the growing needs of their local
constituencies.
capitol operations
Ensuring that our customers--both internal and external--have
access to the Senate and understand its work remains the focus of the
SAA's Capitol Operations team. Over the past year, team members
provided a range of services to Senators and their staffs, visitors to
the Capitol, members of the news media who cover Congress, and the
public. Capitol Operations continues to focus on providing timely,
accurate, and useful information that promotes safety, increases
transparency, and enhances the experience of those who work in and
visit the Senate.
Senate Recording Studio
In a time of instant communication and demands for transparency,
the Senate Recording Studio ensures the Senate's work remains
accessible to the public. During 2017, the Recording Studio provided
1,166 hours of gavel-to-gavel coverage of Senate floor proceedings and
continues to provide technical support for live streaming and archiving
of the proceedings on the Senate's website, www.senate.gov. Last year,
the streamed proceedings were viewed 6.02 million times, an increase of
180 percent over 2016. Additionally in 2017, 586,295 unique visitors
visited the site, an increase of 239 percent over the previous year. To
keep the quality of this production in line with current standards, the
studio upgraded the Senate floor audio system in 2017. The Recording
Studio also broadcast 750 Senate committee hearings in 2017, a 38
percent increase over 2016. The studio coordinates with Voice of
America, the Department of State, and other agencies to provide these
hearings to a larger audience. Another priority of the Recording Studio
is to enable Senators working in DC to communicate with their
constituents back home. During 2017, the studio produced 1,037
television productions, an increase of 29 percent over the previous
year. Additionally, the studio produced 1,308 radio productions, a 46
percent increase over 2016.
Senate Media Galleries
For members of the news media, the Senate remains one of the most
open and accessible institutions of government. On any given day,
hundreds of reporters, producers, photographers, videographers, and
technical support personnel can be found in hearing rooms, hallways,
and in the Chamber, bringing the news of the Senate to people across
the country and around the world.
The four Senate Media Galleries ensure the news media can conduct
business efficiently, safely, and in a manner consistent with Senate
rules. The unique structure of the Media Galleries, dating back to the
earliest days of the Senate, requires close cooperation with the
Standing and Executive Correspondents' Committees, the USCP, and press
secretaries and communications staff of Senators' offices and
committees. Media Gallery staff facilitate media credentials and
arrange for more than 7,000 members of the news media to cover the
Senate each year. In the past year, the number of media credentials
issued has risen 18 percent.
Daily Press Gallery
Last year, the Daily Press Gallery issued credentials to
approximately 1,600 journalists. As custodians of the largest press
complex on Capitol Hill, the gallery staff serve more than 100
reporters who work in the Press Gallery on a regular basis. Gallery
staff control access to the Press Gallery inside the Senate Chamber and
ensure gallery rules are followed. They coordinate with Senate
committees on press coverage for hearings and other events around
Capitol Hill. The staff remain focused on modernizing services,
streamlining the online credentialing process, and maintaining real
time website updates on Senate floor proceedings and notifications to
Senate staff and reporters via email and Twitter (@SenatePress).
Periodical Press Gallery
The Periodical Press Gallery supports the news media working for
non-daily periodicals and their online publications. Media presence on
Capitol Hill has increased dramatically over the past year, and gallery
staff help maintain crowd control in the Senate subway and the Ohio
Clock Corridor during votes and party caucus meetings. Gallery staff
continue to process new press applications in consultation with the
Executive Committee of Periodical Correspondents, and renew press
credentials for approximately 1,200 correspondents. The staff remain
focused on streamlining communication with gallery members and Senate
staff. For example, the number of followers to the gallery's Twitter
account (@Senate PPG) grew over 23 percent in 2017 to 7,486 followers.
These efforts help drive traffic to the gallery's website, where
information on Senate floor proceedings, the credentialing process, and
Senate factoids are consolidated.
Press Photographers Gallery
The Press Photographers Gallery supports photographers representing
news organizations from across the United States and around the world.
Last year, the gallery credentialed approximately 300 news
photographers. Unlike the other three Media Galleries, which have
counterparts in the House of Representatives, Press Photographers
Gallery staff support the media at news events and hearings for both
Houses of Congress. During the past year, gallery staff supported press
logistics at many high profile hearings and events. The gallery staff
work with other SAA offices, the U.S. Capitol Police, and Senate
offices to ensure press photographers have access without interfering
with the duties of the Members. Additionally, the gallery is fine-
tuning the press logistics for Continuity of Government plans.
Radio and Television Gallery
The Radio and Television Gallery serves as the Senate's primary
contact to the broadcast news, ensuring the Senate's broadcast coverage
rules are followed. Gallery staff function as liaisons between Senate
offices and the broadcast media. In 2017, staff assisted in organizing
coverage of more than 200 news conferences, 1,400 committee hearings,
160 photo opportunities, and 40 special events--a significant increase
over the previous year. The gallery issued credentials to approximately
4,000 television and radio reporters, producers, and technical
personnel. The gallery also maintains the studio and technical
infrastructure Senators use for news conferences.
Senate Doorkeepers
Senate Doorkeepers play a critical role in supporting the
legislative process. They provide access to those with Senate floor
privileges; enforce the rules of the Senate floor; and facilitate the
needs of Senators, Senate floor staff, and Senate Pages. Doorkeepers
also provide support for a number of special events attended by
Senators, their families, and special guests. In addition to directly
supporting Senators, Doorkeepers ensure people from around the world
can visit the Senate Galleries safely. Doorkeepers are also tasked with
emergency preparedness roles, and balance the dual priorities of
maintaining access and preparing for emergency situations.
Senate Appointment Desks
The Senate Appointment Desks are responsible for processing
thousands of guests who enter the Capitol each year for business
meetings or other purposes in a safe and efficient manner. During 2017,
approximately 220,000 visitors were processed through our network of
Appointment Desks located on the first floor of the Capitol, in the
basements of the Russell and Hart Senate office buildings, and in the
Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). Of these, 116,000 visitors were in the
Capitol Complex for official business or for a meeting with a Member, a
Member's office, or a committee. In addition, more than 29,000
international visitors relied on the CVC Appointment Desk for Senate
Gallery Passes and information.
saa human resources
The SAA Office of Human Resources provides personnel services and
advice to SAA managers and employees. In addition, SAA Human Resources
provides workers' compensation, ergonomic assessments, Americans with
Disabilities Act accommodation requests, and recruitment services to
the broader Senate community. During fiscal year 2017, the Senate
Placement Office received 590 requests for recruitment assistance from
Senate offices and processed 29,304 resumes, with 2,088 resumes
collected and referred. Overall, in fiscal year 2017, the Placement
Office processed 35,435 resumes from applicants for Senate employment.
senate office of education and training
The Office of Education and Training ensures all Senate staff have
the resources and skills needed to perform their jobs. In 2017, nearly
3,000 staff attended in-person classes and over 1,400 attended online
classes. The office facilitated three conferences for over 170 State
staff, and provided customized training, facilitation services, and
coaching to Members, committees, and support offices, in which more
than 2,000 staff members participated. This year, the office plans to
continue to offer leadership development, introduce training
opportunities for administrative directors and chief clerks, and
increase the library of online lessons.
The Health Promotion section within Education and Training provides
mandated health promotion activities and events for the Senate
community. Each year, the office coordinates and hosts the 2-day Health
and Wellness Fair. In 2017, more than 2,100 staff participated in
health promotion activities, which included screenings for glucose,
cholesterol, and blood pressure; exercise demonstrations; and seminars
on topics including healthy eating and cancer prevention.
employee assistance program
Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers a variety of
emotional, behavioral and work-related support resources and services
to staff, their family members, Senate Pages, and interns. In 2017,
nearly 1 in 20 Senate employees used the services of an EAP counselor;
181 employees took an online mental health screening; 31 managers
requested a supervisory consultation; 2,862 employees attended an EAP
training activity; and 1,593 employees' accessed resources for
personalized information and referrals addressing childcare, parenting,
adult care, aging, education, legal concerns, and/or financial issues.
conclusion
The SAA organization is composed of a diverse array of departments.
All of them exist to serve the Senate so that it can function as part
of the legislative branch of our government. To provide the checks and
balances on any administration, the legislative branch must be able to
function efficiently in an effort to create and pass legislation. To do
so, the Senate SAA must and will provide the needed services that allow
the legislative branch to function.
Appendix A
fiscal year 2019 budget request
Office of the Sergeant at Arms--United States Senate
FINANCIAL PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
($000)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiscal Year 2018 Fiscal Year 2019
Category Enacted Request
------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Operations & Maintenance
Salaries........................ $78,565 $84,157
Expenses........................ 71,116 68,259
-----------------------------------
Total General Operations & $149,681 $152,416
Maintenance................
Mandated Allowances & Allotments.... 42,188 43,759
Capital Investment.................. 9,590 7,851
Nondiscretionary Items.............. 7,182 6,726
-----------------------------------
Total....................... $208,641 $210,752
===================================
Staffing............................ 910 920
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To ensure that we provide the highest levels and quality of
security, support services, and equipment, we submit a fiscal year 2019
budget request of $210,752, an increase of $2,111, or 1.0 percent,
compared with fiscal year 2018. The salary budget request is $84,157,
an increase of $5,592, or 7.1 percent, and the expense budget request
is $126,595, a decrease of $3,481, or 2.7 percent. Staffing is expected
to be 920 FTEs.
We present our budget in four categories:
--General Operations and Maintenance (Salaries and Expenses);
--Mandated Allowances and Allotments;
--Capital Investment; and
--Nondiscretionary Items.
The General Operations and Maintenance Salaries budget request is
$84,157, an increase of $5,592, or 7.1 percent, compared with fiscal
year 2018.
The General Operations and Maintenance Expenses budget request is
$68,259, a decrease of $2,857, or 4.0 percent, compared with fiscal
year 2018.
The Mandated Allowances and Allotments expense budget request for
fiscal year 2019 is $43,759. This budget supports State office rents at
$18,170; purchase of computer and office equipment at $8,725;
maintenance and procurement of member office constituent mail services
system at $7,150; voice and data communications for Washington, DC, and
State offices at $4,800; recording studios at $2,100; State office
security enhancements at $1,641; wireless services and equipment at
$988, Appropriations Analysis Support System at $100, office computer
supplies at $65 and PCs to schools at $20.
The Capital Investments expense request for fiscal year 2019 is
$7,851. This budget includes funding for Recording Studio equipment
upgrades at $2,300; Data Network Campus Infrastructure at $1,750;
Storage Area Network at $1,000; Enterprise Systems Infrastructure $910;
Network Operations Infrastructure, $306; Printing Graphics and Direct
Mail equipment upgrades at $400, Wireless Network Infrastructure at
$200 and Network Management Equipment & Technology Upgrade at $985.
The Nondiscretionary Items expense request for fiscal year 2019 is
$6,726. This budget includes support for the Payroll System at $3,199,
funding to support the Secretary of the Senate for contract maintenance
of the Financial Management Information System (FMIS) at $2,807, and
maintenance and necessary enhancements to the Legislative Information
System at $720.
Senator Daines. Thank you, Mr. Stenger.
I would add that the written testimony of each witness will
be printed in the full hearing record.
Mr. Verderosa.
----------
UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE
STATEMENT OF HON. CHIEF MATTHEW R. VERDEROSA
ACCOMPANIED BY:
STEVEN SUND, CHIEF OF OPERATIONS/ASSISTANT CHIEF
RICHARD BRADDOCK, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
GRETCHEN DEMAR, GENERAL COUNSEL
DOMINIC STORELLI, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
MICHAEL BOLTON, ACTING INSPECTOR GENERAL
GUS PAPATHANASIOU, FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE CHAIRMAN
KAREN GRAY-THOMAS, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS CHAIR
Chief Verderosa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the
subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to present the
department's budget request for fiscal year 2019. I am joined
today by my Chief of Operations, Assistant Chief Steven Sund;
Chief Administrative Officer Richard Braddock; General Counsel
Gretchen DeMar; Chief Financial Officer Dominic Storelli; as
well as other members of my executive team. We are also joined
here today by Acting Inspector General Mike Bolton and USCP
Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Gus Papathanasiou, who is
certainly a partner with me in working with the work force.
First, I would like to thank the subcommittee for its
unwavering support of the U.S. Capitol Police, and for
providing the necessary funding to support our personnel and
operations.
Since I last appeared before the subcommittee, the
Department has effectively managed an ever-increasing number of
demonstrations, has swiftly responded to critical incidents and
civil disobedience, and has investigated numerous credible
threats made against Members of Congress and the Capitol
itself. Most notably, our mission to protect and serve Congress
was thrust into the national spotlight on June 14, 2017, after
a gunman fired shots at the Republican congressional baseball
team practice, and our own highly trained special agents
responded swiftly and heroically, preventing a serious tragedy.
The Department also received its sixth consecutive
accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law
Enforcement Agencies. We were awarded CALEA's Gold Standard
with Excellence, the highest rating a law enforcement agency
can receive during the evaluation process. This distinction is
a real testament to the professionalism of our work force and
demonstrates that we have consistently implemented the best law
enforcement practices.
I am extremely proud of the Department and our responses to
the extraordinary events of the past year. No one could have
predicted all that we have encountered, but our officers are
trained to face each and every crisis and challenge, and we
must always be prepared to face the unimaginable.
Mr. Chairman, and Members of the subcommittee, the support
of the subcommittee and the Capitol Police Board has
contributed to our success in achieving our mission as well as
our ability to recognize and address the dynamic nature of the
current threats. We are truly grateful for your keen
understanding of the complexity of our mission and the
challenges that we face.
We have developed our fiscal year 2019 budget with a focus
on continuing to equip and prepare our work force to be agile
and responsive to the operations of Congress and keeping the
U.S. Capitol Complex safe and secure. Our overall fiscal year
2019 request is $456.4 million and represents an increase of 7
percent over fiscal year 2018 enacted levels.
As we experienced on the baseball field in Alexandria last
June, occurrences of homegrown violent extremist, lone-wolf
episodes are on the rise. Across the world, we continue to see
more and more terrorist organizations attacking public venues.
As a result, our officers must look at every event on Capitol
Grounds. Mass demonstrations, concerts, traffic stops, and even
the simple act of Members crossing the street for a vote is a
potential target for threat.
Based on the increase in terrorist and domestic casualty
events, and upon studying the tactics displayed by known
assailants, we continuously review our operational and tactical
postures to ensure that we are taking every measure possible to
maintain the security of the Capitol Complex while allowing the
legislative process to continue to function in an open
environment protecting individuals' First Amendment rights.
Therefore, working in concert with the Capitol Police
Board, the department is continuing to deploy additional
screening of various means throughout the Complex. This
involves deploying security measures to better secure and
screen at building access points. Our fiscal year 2019 budget
request includes base funding for 1,943 sworn, 420 civilian
positions, and requests half-year funding for an additional 72
sworn officers and 20 civilian positions. These additional
sworn personnel will be utilized to enhance the department's
ability to detect, impede, and address the threats that
currently exist and continue to evolve.
Additionally, we are also requesting one civilian position
for the Office of Inspector General for the purposes of
furthering their work on addressing potential cybersecurity
threats.
Our request also includes funding for items such as
protective travel, supplies, and equipment; management systems
and technology upgrades; and other nonpersonnel needs. The
funding for the requirements will address increases in
operating costs, including investments in training, recruiting,
and outfitting our new employees; replacing key equipment and
systems that are outdated or are becoming obsolete; and
restoring annual levels reduced in previous fiscal years to
meet vital department needs.
Mr. Chairman, and Members of the subcommittee, the United
States Capitol Police is the only police department in the
Nation that does what we do and with the high visibility in
which we do it. Mission focus will always be the key to our
ability to be successful, to serve and protect, and to ensure
our employees go home safe every day. Congress relies on us to
do our jobs so that they may do the people's work in a free and
open manner in the People's House.
In closing, I want to ensure the subcommittee that the U.S.
Capitol Police is committed to always being at the ready to
ensure that the Capitol Complex is safe and secure. We will
continue to work closely with you and the subcommittee staff to
ensure that we meet the needs and the expectations of Congress,
as well as our mission, in a reasonable and responsible manner.
Again, I thank you for the opportunity to appear here today
before you, and I would be pleased to answer any questions you
may have.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Chief Matthew R. Verderosa
Chairman Daines, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the
subcommittee, I am honored to be here today, and I appreciate the
opportunity to present the United States Capitol Police budget request
for fiscal year 2019. I am joined here by some members of my Executive
Team and Executive Management Team, including Chief of Operations,
Assistant Chief Steven Sund; Chief Administrative Officer Richard
Braddock; General Counsel Gretchen DeMar; Chief Financial Officer
Dominic Storelli; and Acting Inspector General Michael Bolton. Also
joining me today is USCP Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Chairman Gus
Papathanasiou, as well as USCP International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Chair Karen Gray-Thomas.
First, I would like to thank the subcommittee for its unwavering
support of the United States Capitol Police. On behalf of the entire
Department, I would like to express our appreciation to the Members of
this subcommittee, and to the entire Congress for providing the
necessary funding to support our personnel and operations.
Since I last appeared before the subcommittee, the Department has
effectively managed an ever-increasing number of demonstrations, has
swiftly responded to critical incidents and civil disobedience, and has
investigated numerous, credible threats made against Members of
Congress or the U.S. Capitol. Most notably, our mission to protect and
serve Congress was thrust into the national spotlight on June 14, 2017,
after a gunman fired shots during the Republican Congressional baseball
team's practice, and our own highly-trained Special Agents responded
swiftly and heroically; preventing a serious tragedy.
The Department also received its sixth consecutive accreditation
from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.
(CALEA). We were awarded CALEA's Gold Standard with Excellence--the
highest rating a law enforcement agency can receive during the
evaluation process, which is reserved for Departments that exhibit
strong organizational health. The U.S. Capitol Police was further
recognized for having been accredited for 15 or more continuous years
with the enhanced Certificate of Meritorious Accreditation. Receiving
this distinction demonstrates how much the Department has grown and
matured since receiving our first accreditation in November 2002. All
of these distinctions are a real testament to the professionalism of
our workforce, and it demonstrates that we are constantly implementing
the best law enforcement practices.
I am extremely proud of the Department and our responses to the
extraordinary events of the past year. No one could have predicted all
that we have encountered, but our officers are trained to face each
crisis and challenge, and we must always be prepared to face the
unimaginable. We know that what at first may appear to be routine or
even mundane may in fact be a threat to the safety and wellbeing of the
Capitol Complex. We are always aware that any threat can change very
quickly as circumstances unfold.
Mr. Chairman, the support of the subcommittee and the Capitol
Police Board has contributed to our success in achieving our mission,
as well as our ability to recognize and address the dynamic nature of
current threats. You and your staff have taken great time and made
significant efforts to work closely with the Department's leadership
team, and we are truly grateful for your keen understanding of the
complexity of our mission and the challenges we face.
We have developed our fiscal year 2019 budget with a focus on
continuing to equip and prepare our workforce to be agile and
responsive to the operations of Congress, and keeping the U.S. Capitol
Complex safe and secure. Our overall fiscal year 2019 request is $456.4
million, and represents an increase of 7 percent over fiscal year 2018
enacted levels.
As with all law enforcement agencies, personnel salaries and
overtime make up the majority of our annual budget. Conversely, we
could not do what we do without our dedicated law enforcement officers
and professional civilian staff. We have continuously worked throughout
the Department to effectively and prudently allocate our existing
resources to achieve the best possible staffing balance to meet mission
requirements. We regularly analyze our workforce distribution to align
job functions, assignments, workload, risk management, and
organizational readiness, along with the threat assessments and
mandatory mission requirements, within a dynamic environment.
Even utilizing these various strategies, the types of threats we
are seeing and responding to are changing every day. Today, there are
no routine activities for law enforcement officers. The reality is that
the Capitol Complex remains an attractive target to foreign and
domestic terrorists, homegrown violent extremists, other lone
offenders, and political extremists. These threats could take the form
of an active shooter, vehicle ramming, improvised explosive devices,
drones, chemical or biological substance releases, or any combination
of these tactics.
As we experienced on that baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia,
last June, occurrences of homegrown, violent extremist ``lone wolf''
episodes are on the rise. Lone offenders, in particular, are nearly
impossible to detect due to their ability to keep their plans hidden
and the prevalence of encrypted communications. Across the world, we
continue to see more and more terrorist organizations attacking public
venues. In just the past year, we have seen an escalation in the number
of mass casualty events in our own country.
As a result, our officers must look at every event on the Capitol
Grounds--mass demonstrations, concerts, traffic stops, and even the
simple act of Members crossing the street for a vote, as a potential
target for a threat. Our officers continually assess each activity they
see for any risks to the safety and security of the Capitol Complex.
Based on this increase in terrorist and domestic mass casualty
events and upon studying the tactics displayed by known assailants, the
U.S. Capitol Police continuously reviews our operational and tactical
postures to ensure that we are taking every measure possible to
maintain the security of the Capitol Complex, while allowing the
legislative process to continue to function in an open environment, and
protecting individuals' First Amendment rights. While we do not know of
any imminent threat on the U.S. Capitol or the legislative process, we
must be prepared to respond effectively to any threat that may present
itself.
Therefore, working in concert with the Capitol Police Board, the
Department is continuing to deploy additional screening of various
means throughout the Capitol Complex. This involves deploying security
measures to better secure and screen at building access points.
Over the past year, the Department has identified areas to modify
or eliminate mission requirements to offset these additional security
priorities. We also reviewed duties currently performed by sworn
personnel and began to civilianize several positions so that officers
could be reassigned to duty stations that utilized their specialized
training and skills to further meet operational requirements.
Our fiscal year 2019 budget includes base funding for 1,943 sworn
and 420 civilian positions, and requests half-year funding for an
additional 72 sworn officers and 20 civilian positions. These
additional sworn personnel will be utilized to enhance the Department's
ability to detect, impede, and address threats that currently exist and
continue to evolve. Additionally, we are also requesting one civilian
position for the Office of Inspector General for the purposes of
furthering their work on addressing potential cybersecurity threats.
To support these efforts, the fiscal year 2019 funding request
reflects a 6.57 percent increase over the fiscal year 2018 enacted
level for personnel costs. This increase is necessary to address the
annual cost of living and benefit cost increases incurred by the
Department, additional staffing requirements, and overtime costs to
meet mission requirements.
As you are aware, the Department's current sworn staffing levels do
not provide the complete and necessary resources to meet all of our
mission requirements within the established sworn officer utility or
the number of work-hours in a year that each officer is available to
perform work. This utility number is used to determine overall staffing
requirements. It balances the utility of available staff with annual
salary and overtime funding along with known mission requirements.
These known requirements include post coverage, projected unscheduled
events such as demonstrations, late-night sessions, and holiday
concerts. The utility number also estimates unfunded requirements that
occur after the budget is enacted, such as unforeseen critical
emergency situations, and providing adequate police coverage of
congressional hearings.
Because of the need to fill the mission requirement gap through
overtime, the Department has struggled to take our sworn personnel off
of their posts to conduct training. In order to provide mandatory
training, we must utilize overtime to ensure that the officers may be
offline for training, while meeting our daily mission requirements.
There are flexibilities that other law enforcement agencies have to
offset or defer daily requirements to allow for officer training that
our unique mission does not afford us.
Therefore, mission requirements in excess of available personnel
must be addressed through the identification of efficiencies such as
post realignment and/or reductions, technology, and cutbacks within the
utility. Where necessary, we meet this requirement through the use of
overtime. If the requested staffing levels for fiscal year 2019 are
funded, the Department's overtime projection is approximately $43.7
million. This amount will cover base mission requirements, our support
of non-reimbursable events at the Library of Congress, and the ability
for sworn employees to be backfilled while they attend mandatory and
necessary training.
For the Department's General Expenses budget, our request includes
items such as protective travel; hiring, outfitting, and training new
sworn personnel; supplies and equipment; management systems and
technology upgrades; and other non-personnel needs. In planning for
increases in both the number of facilities we will be protecting and
staffing requirements, we are requesting $81.5 million for general
expenses, which is an increase of $6.7 million over the fiscal year
2018 enacted level. This funding will address increases in operating
costs including investments in training, recruiting and outfitting new
employees, replacing key equipment and systems that are outdated and
becoming obsolete, and restoring annual levels reduced in previous
fiscal years to meet vital Department needs.
As the Chief of Police, it is my fiduciary responsibility to look
at every opportunity within the Department to accomplish our mission
before asking for additional resources. The subcommittee and the
Congress have been very supportive of the Department, and I would not
ask for additional resources unless we have identified a great need. We
put in much time and planning while formulating our budget request each
year.
For the past 8 years, we have implemented uniform procedures to
effectively measure and justify USCP planning, program, and resource
requirements through a comprehensive, standardized, and repeatable
management process that we call the ``Force Development Business
Process.'' It provides a transparent decisionmaking process that
includes reviews and approvals by an Investment Review Board made up of
key agency management, and it provides a structure that is results-
driven and based on meeting operational needs. In addition, to ensure
the accuracy of our budget request, our fiscal year 2019 budget went
through multiple layers of review and validation, and is tied to
supporting documentation for each budget element.
Further, I am pleased to report that the Department received its
sixth consecutive unmodified ``clean'' opinion on our financial
statements from the USCP Office of Inspector General (OIG). The
Department truly values the OIG's assistance in our efforts to further
improve operations and performance; and the long-term resolution of
recommendations related to internal controls, business processes and
material weaknesses remains of the highest importance to me and our
management team.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Fay Ropella who
served as the USCP Inspector General for 5 years, and was instrumental
in guiding the Department's efforts to become more effective and
efficient. She retired from Federal service at the end of March, and we
all wish her the best in retirement. As we continue to work to further
the mission of the Department, we look forward to working with Mr.
Bolton in his role as the Acting Inspector General.
Mr. Chairman, the United States Capitol Police is the only police
department in the Nation that does what we do and with the high
visibility in which we do it. Mission focus will always be the key to
our ability to be successful, to serve and protect, and to ensure our
employees go home safe every day. The Congress relies on us to do our
jobs so that they may do the people's work in a free and open manner in
the ``People's House.''
In closing, I want to assure the subcommittee that the U.S. Capitol
Police is committed to always being at the ready to ensure that the
Capitol Complex is safe and secure. Our fiscal year 2019 budget request
was developed with great thought and discipline to ensure that the
necessary mission requirements were at the forefront of our planning
and prioritization.
We will continue to work closely with you and the subcommittee
staff to ensure that we meet the needs and expectations of the
Congress, as well as our mission, in a reasonable and responsible
manner. Again, I thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
today. I would be pleased to answer any questions that you may have.
Senator Daines. Chief Verderosa, thank you for your
testimony. Thanks again for the tour last week, taking time out
of your busy schedule to show me your team. It was very
impressive. I am grateful for what you do. To see the command
center was really eye-opening. So thank you for what you do.
Chief Verderosa. We appreciate you coming there, sir.
Senator Daines. Especially with National Police Week as
well this week, it is only fitting that we are having this
hearing.
I am going to start with Mr. Stenger. I want to talk about
cybersecurity and training for Senate staff. Part of the
funding provided in fiscal year 2018 for cybersecurity was to
provide enhanced training for our Senate offices. As we
discussed when we met in my office last week, the end-user is a
vital component to ensuring a protected network. Certainly, in
the world of cyber, we truly are only as protected as our
weakest link.
Could you describe the training program that you have
established for offices and any plans to expand that program in
the coming year?
Mr. Stenger. Yes, Mr. Chairman. I think part of our program
that we initiated a couple years ago was the acknowledgment
that end-users are a critical link in this whole process. Most
of the end-users are not in the SAA but, rather, in the
Members' offices.
We are looking for a vendor. The Department of State used
to be the vendor we used to do business with for training. They
are no longer providing that training. We are considering
several options for other vendors.
We have put on, I believe, 52 cyber-awareness seminars
since we started the program about 1.5 years ago. Every month
or so, we do a cyber roundup. It is live-streamed out to the
offices. We have done nine. I think we are going to do another
one tomorrow, so it will be 10. In Cyber Awareness Month in
October 2017, we did four events.
So we are continuing to look at opportunities to go out to
the end-users, to the offices both here and out in the field,
to train them and give them some awareness. In my experience,
the easiest way for a cybersecurity breach to occur is through
someone at some point in the system. So the system is only as
good as the people that are using it.
Senator Daines. Mr. Stenger, when I think about our staff,
we see the staff here up on Capitol Hill, but you wake up every
morning thinking about staff spread all across the United
States.
I think about my home State of Montana. We have staff
members in pretty remote places. Sometimes a single staff
member holding down the outpost, in my case, out in Sidney,
Montana, on the North Dakota-Montana border.
Do you feel you have the resources to ensure that we have
adequate cyber training in place not just for our staff here on
Capitol Hill but when we think about how dispersed the Senate
staff are around the country?
Mr. Stenger. Yes, Mr. Chairman. That is part of what we are
doing. When we do these seminars, we are offering our webinars
or live-streaming to the State offices as well. We recognize
that compromises can take place anywhere, either here in
Washington, DC, or at a State office. So we are incorporating
them into all our training as much as we can. We are working to
do more of that.
We are also doing more planning for assessments with the
State offices, assessing any issues they might have. We can
perform these assessments in about 2 days and determine what is
beneficial and what is not.
Senator Daines. One of the additional FTE that you were
asking for in your fiscal year 2019 budget is to establish a
Chief Privacy Officer, as requested by the subcommittee. Could
you provide any details on what your plan is for hiring this
position and how you will define their role in your
organization?
Mr. Stenger. We have taken a look at that position that we
are going to have. Right now, it is over in our H.R.
department, ready to be advertised. The Senate will then
identify and select the best candidate to fill that position.
It is interesting, as we looked at it, originally, it was
called the Chief Privacy Officer. What we found is, as we
reviewed some of the industry standards and the other
organizations that are doing it, privacy information or the
privacy office was mostly focused on PII, Personally
Identifiable Information. The Secretary of the Senate owns much
of the actual Senate PII, whereas the SAA acts as data steward,
helping to secure, protect, and manage the underlying networks,
systems, and PII and data.
My opinion is the position will be a combination of Chief
Privacy and Data Security Officer. The position will protect
PII as well as Senate data that does not include sensitive PII,
such as bills, markups, and information related to the
legislative process. When we interview candidates for the
position, we will ask about their experience and thoughts on
privacy and data security.
We will also look into establishing a strategic and
operational privacy and data security team. The team is
envisioned to provide policy and oversight as well as privacy
and data security recommendations and guidance to Members,
committees, and Senate staff. The team will apply privacy and
security by design principles and work to implement best
practices into current and future projects across the Senate.
Senator Daines. Thank you, Mr. Stenger.
Ranking Member Murphy.
Senator Murphy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple
questions that cover both witnesses. Maybe I will just do all
mine.
Senator Daines. You bet. Sure.
TACTICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING
Senator Murphy. So the first topic that I wanted to bring
up to both of you is in relation to a training program that
actually finds its genesis in the 2012 shooting in Connecticut.
After that shooting, the American College of Surgeons partnered
with law enforcement to create an emergency response plan to
try to improve survival. It was all around the procedures that
civilians can use to stop bleeding. It is actually called the
Hartford Consensus, because the first meeting occurred in
Hartford and empowered civilians to take lifesaving actions
when the need arises.
Chief Verderosa, I understand that your officers are being
trained in the Stop the Bleed process, so I did not know if you
have any update on that or whether there are plans to have all
officers trained?
Mr. Stenger, SAA offers training to Senate staff on a
number of topics. I do not think that there is, right now, a
Stop the Bleed course, so I just wanted to inquire to you as to
whether you would be open to adding a course available to
Senate staff, given the fact that, as I understand, all Capitol
Police officers are being trained on this as we speak.
So I just ask the question of both of you.
Chief Verderosa. Yes, sir. Through the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center, we are training our newest
employees with the tactical emergency response kits. That has
ways to stop critical bleeding, traumatic injury, for first
responders. As we grow the new hires and put people through
attrition hiring, we will move that into in-service training as
well.
Obviously, the kits are reasonably expensive. They are not
overwhelmingly expensive. They are easily carried, and you can
likely see our newest officers who are in their police officer
training, their field training right now, they generally are
the ones who have the kits with them.
Certainly, our tactical units and other specialized units
also have EMT experience and are assigned. When we are trained
remotely at ranges, we always have an EMT available with
equipment. Our dignitary protection teams have the ability to
have additional medical kits with them. And then as we move
forward into our tactical units and our active-shooter
training, we are going to continue to deploy these kits as we
move on through regular in-service refreshment.
Senator Murphy. Mr. Stenger, is this something that you
would be interested in offering to Senate staff?
Mr. Stenger. Our State Liaison Office works closely with
the Capitol Police on dealing with the State offices as well on
active-shooter training and things of that nature. We also
expanded our training to emergency preparedness, working with
the State offices as well as the offices here. We are prepared
for emergencies that may arise, whether they are natural
disasters or whether there is a situation involving criminal
activity.
So we do most of it in-house with the State offices as much
as we can, and we have a very good group of people that are
well-trained and have history on this. That is one of the
reasons that we are requesting to convert contractors to FTEs.
There are a number reasons for that. We were able to save
on the expenses on the contract by going to FTEs. But we found
that we develop with the FTEs a loyalty to the organization,
and we are able to surge them to do different things. In other
words, contractors are good for certain areas, but there are
areas where we want to have people go out to the offices. If
they are FTEs, we can surge them and go out to the offices for
training.
Senator Murphy. I do not necessarily care who does it,
whether it is you or contractors. I am just asking if you would
be interested in taking a look at adding this as available
additional training.
Mr. Stenger. We are always trying to find out what is the
appropriate training, especially in the cyber area.
Senator Murphy. Yes, I think this one is free, so I think
this is no cost to you. I am not sure if you are resisting the
idea, but the American College of Surgeons just offers this
training to people for free to understand how to control active
bleeding.
So I will leave it at that. I would encourage you to take a
look at offering that training.
MEMBER PROTECTION AT OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS
Back to you, Chief Verderosa. Again, this is a question or
a series of questions for both of you.
In the last appropriations bill out of this subcommittee,
we included language directing the United States Capitol Police
to develop protocols for interacting with Senate offices to
identify outside events, gatherings, field hearings, domestic
travel, and other occasions that might pose a risk to Member
security and to provide a liaison process with the offices in
order to identify those sites.
I know we have had this conversation with before. Senator
Lankford and I talked a lot about this. I continue to believe
that we are not adequately transferring information between
Member offices and Capitol Police about large gatherings of
Members off-campus.
We are very well-protected when we are here, but the
protection is spotty when we are off-campus attending events
that many Members are gathered at, attending fundraisers,
social events.
As far as I can tell, the report that you submitted does
not actually propose any new liaison programs. It just simply
restates the existing process, which is, as far as I can
gather, you rely on the Senate Sergeant at Arms to provide you
with information about what Members are doing. Am I wrong about
that?
It just seems like this report just sort of reiterated what
the existing practice is, which is not a direct liaison
relationship between the Capitol Police and Members of
Congress.
Chief Verderosa. Right. We do work very closely with both
Sergeants at Arms to focus on events that are occurring off the
grounds, district offices, and State offices.
As an offshoot of the Alexandria incident and in the
numbers for last year, we actually did an assessment of 431
Member of Congress events. Part of the coverage that we
provide--and we deployed dignitary protection agents on 46 of
those events that we determined necessitated a more robust
response than coordinating with local law enforcement. Our
Investigation Division does an assessment, both classified and
unclassified, of the known information about events. We will
look at it, and we will talk with the staff to get a sense of
what the issues are, what type of event it is, how many Members
are involved. Obviously, Member events that are outside pose
more of a risk than are in a secure building, particularly a
Federal building, that type of thing.
We will then leverage our relationships with local law
enforcement. I found that about 99 percent of the time, we get
very great cooperation with local law enforcement to actually
have a presence at Member events, whether that is a codel or
any type of organized event.
We certainly do not have direct liaison with every Member
office. We rely on the Sergeants at Arms to filter that
information to us, and we go out and do the assessment.
Now, in our database searches for various events for
Members of Congress on a daily basis, we are always looking for
things that may be of interest to the Members. We actually do
the reach-out, a cold call to the Member office to provide that
information, if we find something in an open source or any type
of classified information.
We can work closer with the Sergeants at Arms, particularly
the liaison staff that Mr. Stenger has and Mr. Irving has in
their offices to start a more formalized process with
individual Member offices. That has not been the direction that
we took in working with the board. We certainly can explore
that, if that is the desire of Congress for us to do that.
We are very thankful for the resources that Congress
provided, and we immediately, after the June incident,
increased our dignitary protection, increased our exposure to
known events where we had Members gathered, whether it is a
large dinner or a large outdoor event.
Senator Murphy. You said you covered 41 events?
Chief Verderosa. Forty-six times, we deployed agents to
cover events for Members that were not in an organized codel.
Senator Murphy. Right. So, Mr. Stenger, my impression is
that you are not engaged in a weekly conversation with every
Member of the Senate about their events outside of the
building, that you basically rely on offices to come to you and
present you with a request for security or to ask questions
about security.
Mr. Stenger. Yes, Senator, we do. We are dependent upon the
information coming from the offices themselves.
But as the chief mentioned, we do a lot of searches on the
Internet. If we determine something is going on or we see some
information that could be indicative of a function taking place
that we are not aware of, we will reach out to the office and
ask, ``Okay, we are seeing this. Are you requesting some
assistance, or what is going on?''
We try to be as proactive as we can with the offices. We
expanded our reach with a weekly email that goes out to all
Admin Managers, Chief Clerks and Schedulers that provides
information on enhancing member safety and security. In our
emergency management seminars, we talk about the necessity of
letting us know ahead of time as much as you can on meetings
and we share this with the Capitol Police Protective Service
Bureau who in turn reach out to local law enforcement to
discuss events and any advers intelligence or threats with the
event. So we do training with the offices here at the Capitol
as well as the office off campus. We used to call it, I think,
Campaign on a Corner or something of that nature, to make sure
that the State offices are aware of the capabilities that we
have here and not to be reluctant to call us.
Senator Murphy. I will leave it there. I just think that
the juxtaposition between the rather large increase in Capitol
Police staff on this campus with the fact that only 46
gatherings of Senators and Members were covered by Capitol
Police outside the building is not justifiable. I think we are
well-protected here. I do not think we are well-protected
outside of this place, in part because the information flow is
not working the way that it should.
Part of that is because we have young staff. We have high
turnover. The people that would necessarily be the people
calling you are not always best equipped to do it.
So I continue to think we need to find a better way to do
this.
Last question is, Mr. Stenger, as you may know, I am also
very concerned about our cyber exposure on personal devices. We
have a working group that I understand is about to start its
work. I think it is going to occur under your direction. I
thank you for that, and I thank you for your commitment to that
working group.
But I wanted, as you start the work on this working group,
just get your thoughts, personal thoughts, about the exposure
that we have on our personal devices. Again, I think this is
another example where it is just not justified, having a 300
percent increase in cybersecurity resources when you are only
protecting me 20 percent of the time because most of my online
contact is happening when I am not on a Senate computer.
So I just wanted to get your personal thoughts on that as
you head into this working group.
Mr. Stenger. I would agree with you, Senator. It is a
vulnerability that needs to be addressed. From what I have
learned recently, since I have taken over the Senate Sergeant
at Arms position, it is a little convoluted as to how to
proceed forward with dual-use devices.
We have put together a working group, who is meeting next
week. We will take the lead on it, because I think it is
important for us to take the lead on it, because we are the
ones that are going to have to implement the solution. I think
we are going to have good representation, because there are
rules and regulations out there that have to be addressed. As
times go on, things change here. Things evolve continuously in
the cyber world. And I think it is up to us to maintain
recognition of that evolvement and take the appropriate steps.
I think it is a good idea to have this working group, and I
think we are going to come up with some more substantive ways
to go forward on it.
Senator Murphy. Thank you for that. I just do not think it
makes sense to continue to put money into cybersecurity if we
are leaving ourselves this exposed. So this, to me, is as
important as it gets.
Thank you. I know I took a long time.
Senator Daines. No, thank you, Senator Murphy. I share the
concern. We discussed, too, a little bit in my office that so
many Members as well as staff are using personal devices and
how we are, again, only as good as our weakest link.
We probably need to be looking at where the activity is
occurring, making sure resources are balanced out, to the
Ranking Member's point. I think we have some room to grow
there.
As we look at the threat assessment, as was pointed out, it
is ever-evolving. It is ironic to me that, if you take a trip,
if you travel abroad, and there are certain countries we know
are very restricted, you would never think about turning on
your device or even bringing it to certain countries. And yet,
here, we are a little bit more cavalier about it. And yet, the
threat can be equally as great right here in our country with
the techniques of certain groups now that are in rather close
proximity.
USCP THREAT ASSESSMENT
I want to talk about the threat assessment, and we will go
back to the Chief here for a moment.
In the fiscal year 2018 omnibus, we requested an update to
the Department's outdated threat assessment report. As we think
about threat assessment, back to Ranking Member Murphy's line
of questioning here, it is ever-evolving as it relates to
cyber, and I am guessing this would inform your mission-
requirements moving forward.
As we are increasing funding, where should we put our
limited resources in the most vulnerable areas? Do you
anticipate changes from your current plans for increasing the
level of sworn officers and posts based on this assessment?
And also, I want to add the whole cyber issue, if both of
you could talk about that as we think about going forward.
Chief Verderosa. In terms of the staffing, we believe that
our most vulnerable areas are the areas that we are beefing up
personnel. The direct access points that allow the interchange
where people are screened, that is where the confrontation is
going to be.
Our goal is to push the threat as far away from the
buildings as possible. That does require personnel. It is a
large undertaking.
We go back to some of the studies that were done following
the 1998 shooting, which was 20 years ago. The studies tell us
that these are the types of ways that you need to screen
people.
We are going to increase some secondary screening in the
Visitors Center coming up in fiscal year 2019. We are going to
expand the type of screening that we do in the chambers to the
CVC. There will be multiple ways that we screen people. We are
most vulnerable at those access points.
That is why we are beefing up the level of scrutiny that
people get, the ability to lock down, the ability to have eyes
and communication available before the threat gets to the
screening portal. That is the reason.
It is a multi-year plan. The goal is to not only put the
eyes outside but also have additional overwatch on the inside
while the screening is taking place. As we found out in 2016 at
the CVC with the shooter, the individual who was screened, the
confrontation occurred exactly where the screening point took
place.
Fortunately, the CVC was designed for that exact instance.
Some of the more ornate historical buildings are not. So we are
expanding our ability to screen and protect and put that
protective coverage around the office buildings as well.
In the interim, we have already started prescreening, and
we also have our canine teams working in coordination with our
plain-clothes personnel that are supplementing the areas until
we get to that staffing level that we believe is necessary to
really quell the threat, the direct threat.
Senator Daines. Chief, thank you. I do not disagree with
the resources. We talked about you adding additional security
outside the buildings as another deterrent, which makes a lot
of sense.
Again, back to Ranking Member Murphy's line of questioning,
we had a very serious issue here, an active shooter 20 years
ago on the Capitol Hill grounds, but more recently, whether it
was Alexandria or with Congresswoman Gabby Giffords where she
is out in the field, I still think we have some great
vulnerabilities that we need to continue to think about
addressing, and best practices, and ensuring that protection
exists, not just for Members but certainly for staff,
importantly, in our offices.
NEW SWORN HIRES AND THE MISSION OF THE USCP
Chief, I want to shift gears and talk about the expanding
mission of the Capitol Police, specifically for the additional
72 sworn officers the Department is requesting in fiscal year
2019. This request builds on substantial growth funded in the
last 3 fiscal years.
Chief Verderosa. Yes, sir.
Senator Daines. My question is, when we are growing the
force at this rate, are we able to ensure that we are
recruiting and training to standards expected of Capitol Police
officers?
Chief Verderosa. I believe so. We have a very robust
recruiting program. One of the things that the Board has done
to assist us in the recruiting and the retention of employees
is we have a temporary exemption to the age 57 retirement until
December 30.
Senator Daines. I used to think that was old. I do not
anymore.
Chief Verderosa. I am sorry, sir?
Senator Daines. I used to think 57 was old. I do not
anymore.
Chief Verderosa. Me either, as I approach those mandatory
retirement ages.
But we have also raised the highest hiring age, so that we
can attract personnel from the military. Thirty-seven is the
standard final age that you can be hired, and it is done so, in
accord with the Capitol Police Retirement Act, we can offer
someone a 20-year retirement. Since the waiver is in place for
the extended end age, we raised the waiver until 40, until
September 30, 2020, so that we can attract more military
retirees.
Military personnel bring a lot to the table. They bring
experience. They bring discipline. They bring an understanding
of working fixed posts.
Our recruiting efforts are very robust, and, frankly, our
employees are our best recruiters. We did an analysis. We look
at how we recruit, where we get applicants from. Sixty-six
employees in the last year have brought on people, have
suggested employees to our recruiters, and a significant number
have succeeded into the academy, as opposed to perhaps
recruiting at job fairs, which has very low return on
investment. You may get one or two people. We are looking at
the best ways to spend our resources in order to attract
personnel.
My administrative side of the house tells me that, in the
last 4 years, we have had about 20,000 applicants, and we have
hired about 400 people.
Now, the 72 that we are hiring is for new mission, but that
is over and above our attrition. Our attrition is about 80 a
year with mandatory retirements. Not everyone takes advantage
of the waiver. However, any employees that stay past the
previous mandatory retirement age gives us flexibility, so that
we can take some of the pressure off the hiring process.
RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING STANDARDS
Senator Daines. Let me ask you a question on travel abroad.
You go to a U.S. Embassy. You have the U.S. Marines,
oftentimes, there. You will see them. My son is a marine. But I
think about, when we are here in the Capitol, we are a primary
target here for terror organizations and others.
How do we compare--``we'' being the Capitol Police--to the
other Federal law enforcement agencies in our recruitment and
training standards? Specifically, are we consistent on matters
such as background checks and continual physical fitness
requirements?
Chief Verderosa. We have a very robust process. Before we
hire personnel, we test them in terms of the ability to not
attrit out of the academy due to either physical or academic
reasons.
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center has a physical
efficiency battery. It is five tests. They have 40, 50 years of
data that supports the reason to do it. The test is made up of
1.5-mile run, the Illinois agility test, sit-and-reach, body
fat composition, and bench press. We do 60 percent of that here
prior to employment. We do the bench press, the 1.5-mile run,
and the agility run.
What we do in order to attract and maintain is we use a
standardized POST test, Police Officer Standardized Test, but
then we give a battery of tests, psychological, polygraph, and
medical. We also do a thorough background investigation.
We look at what other agencies do, and other agencies
actually want to come up and look at how we do it.
We do advertise online on USAJobs, and we find that really
gets a large cross-section. We get a tremendous amount of
activity. A lot of it is word-of-mouth. Again, our own
employees are generally the better recruiters for us.
Down the road, I would look to incentivizing that, because
my employees are the best judge. They can provide the most
information about the job, the most accurate information.
We test, and we generally take the top 3 percent. They go
through the process, and they are free to reapply again. They
do not linger in a pool of candidates.
All of the hires that we have gotten in recent years are
all for new mission. We staff at about 85 percent, 90 percent,
so that we make up the difference in overtime. We find that the
employees we are getting are good.
Now, it is becoming a younger work force. They are highly
educated, and they have less work experience than when I came
on. As we go through the different generational differences, in
terms of the candidates we are getting, that is the work force
that is out there.
We actively recruit military folks. We go to universities,
where we target where our demographics need improvement, that
type of thing.
But I think, overall, we compete very well against other
Federal law enforcement. Thanks to Congress, we have a very
generous starting salary. We have very robust training. We
provide 13 weeks of additional training over the basic Federal
law enforcement training that all Federal police officers get.
We do that. A couple other agencies do that. The less security-
oriented, more police-oriented organizations tend to provide
more follow-on training.
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) does a
number of wonderful things for us, but, what they do not do is
provide the training specific to Capitol Hill or Washington,
DC. In combination, the two training academies really put out a
quality product--and I have said this before. I am confident
that when our officers graduate the academy, if they are
successful, they can police in any city or any jurisdiction in
this country, and they will be very successful.
Senator Daines. Thank you, Chief.
POST-HIRING PHYSICAL FITNESS
Ranking Member Murphy.
Senator Murphy. Two final questions, and I can take short
answers to these.
Just to clarify, on physical fitness, you have the test
that you described as part of training, but you do not do
follow-up tests once you have hired?
Chief Verderosa. Right. At one time, we did some studies on
whether or not we would initiate a health and fitness program.
We initiated the physical readiness test for the specific
purpose of making sure that we have low attrition in our
academy due to physical training.
We do an incentive voluntary. We have a number of gyms that
are available to our employees, our recruits, and our work
force. Generally, they do, in fact, utilize those gyms. We have
a physical fitness instructor on staff, a contractor, that will
help and design a fitness program for every employee. But we do
not have mandatory fitness testing.
We looked at it. We got involved, and there are a lot of
legal challenges to instituting a program once you have
incumbent employees that were not tasked with performing those
essential functions. If you are held to a standard when you are
hired, we did not want to grandfather in a program and have
half the Department on and half not.
We chose to use an incentive program in the early 2000s. We
had monetary compensation for fitness levels, but due to
budgetary constraints, we had to discontinue that.
Senator Murphy. Not to put words in Senator Daines' mouth,
but I think his question was sort of asking whether your
incumbent training or incumbent fitness requirements are
similar to other forces that are doing some of the same work. I
guess I would still be interested in, you do not need to
provide that now, but for the record, I would be interested in
that.
Chief Verderosa. Sure.
[The information follows:]
The Department is currently in the process of benchmarking physical
fitness programs administered or considered to be implemented by other
Federal law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. This
includes both voluntary and mandatory physical fitness programs for
incumbent officers, a legal sufficiency review, and working with law
enforcement organizations such as the Police Executive Research Forum,
the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Commission
on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. to obtain best
practices information. We take the health and overall well-being of our
officers extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring their health
and long-term well-being is maintained throughout their careers. We
will provide our findings to the Committee upon the conclusion of our
review.
Senator Murphy. I am fine. Thank you.
Senator Daines. Thank you, Ranking Member Murphy.
This concludes the Legislative Branch Appropriations
Subcommittee hearing regarding fiscal year 2019 funding for the
Senate Sergeant at Arms and the U.S. Capitol Police. Thank you
to each of our witnesses for your testimony today.
The hearing record will remain open for 7 days, allowing
Members to submit statements and/or questions for the record,
which should be sent to the subcommittee by close of business
Tuesday, May 22, 2018.
CONCLUSION OF HEARINGS
Senator Daines. The committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 4:54 p.m., Tuesday, May 15, the hearings
were concluded, and the subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene
subject to the call of the Chair.]