Capitol Police union comes out hard against acting Chief Gallagher

Justin Papp, CQ-Roll Call on Jun 3, 2025

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WASHINGTON — The union representing Capitol Police officers came out strongly in opposition to acting Chief Sean Gallagher on Tuesday, calling on the police board to rescind the temporary appointment.

Gallagher has stepped up to acting chief, the department confirmed Monday, taking over the position vacated by J. Thomas Manger, who led the force for nearly four years and retired at the end of May.

“By any measure, Sean Gallagher fails to meet the standard of trust and integrity required to lead the U.S. Capitol Police force,” union Chairman Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement.

Gallagher, through a Capitol Police spokesperson, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The union noted that Gallagher was a senior leader of the force in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, when a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters violently pushed past officers and entered the building in an attempt to stop the count of electoral votes. The failure to prepare the rank and file for the attack is a strike against Gallagher, the union said.

In the wake of the attack, Gallagher was one of several department leaders to receive a no-confidence vote from the union.

“We ask that the Board rescind the interim appointment, and we look forward to consulting with the Board on choosing a new Chief who can lead the force with the trust of its officers,” Papathanasiou said in the statement, which also levels accusations against Gallagher related to an overtime billing scheme.

National Journal reported on the false overtime claims in 2014 but did not name the supervisors implicated. A Capitol Police spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked whether Gallagher was involved.

Manger weighed in on the allegations via phone Tuesday evening, calling the union’s statement a “smear campaign” and defending Gallagher’s time with the force. “No one has worked harder than him over the last four years,” Manger said.

The former chief said he reviewed the investigation and believed Gallagher and others had skirted pay caps and failed to follow “proper procedures” in the past for recording overtime but ultimately did not get paid for hours he didn’t work.

Gallagher has not been named Manger’s permanent replacement. That decision rests with the Capitol Police Board, composed of the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the architect of the Capitol.

Manger initially planned to retire in early May but was asked by the board to stay a few more weeks. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Jennifer Hemingway testified before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that the board would likely have a decision by the end of May, but as of Tuesday no successor had been named.

“We are on track to make a decision as a board by the end of this month, and provided we do not deviate from that timeline, I look forward to introducing you to the new chief of police in June,” Hemingway said at the May 14 hearing.

Gallagher has been with the Capitol Police since 2001 and most recently oversaw uniformed operations. From 2010 to 2018, he was assistant commander of the Dignitary Protection Division and the Capitol Division. He was promoted to deputy chief in 2019 and led the Protective Services Bureau, according to his Capitol Police bio.

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