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Yogananda Pittman

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Yogananda Pittman
Acting Chief of the United States Capitol Police
In office
January 8, 2021 – July 22, 2021
Preceded bySteven Sund
Succeeded byJ. Thomas Manger
Personal details
EducationMorgan State University (BS)
Marist College (MPA)

Yogananda D. Pittman is an American police officer who is the University of California, Berkeley chief of police. She was formerly the assistant chief and acting chief of the United States Capitol Police (USCP), serving in those posts during and after the 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol.[1]

She served as acting chief of the USCP from January 8 to July 23, 2021, following the resignation of Steven Sund.[2][3][4] Her term as acting chief ended at the time of the appointment of J. Thomas Manger.[5]

Education

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Pittman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Morgan State University in 1999.[6] She later earned a Master of Public Administration from Marist College and is studying towards a Doctor of Public Administration at West Chester University.[2][7]

Career

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She joined the Capitol Police in 2001. In 2012, Pittman was among the first black female supervisors to be promoted to the rank of captain in the Capitol Police. At that time, she was responsible for over 400 officers and civilian staff. The next year, she was in charge of the security planning for the second inauguration of Barack Obama.[7] During her tenure, Pittman was assigned to the United States Senate Division and served as assistant chief of police for protective and intelligence operations.[8] In 2020, Pittman received the Women in Federal Law Enforcement's Outstanding Advocate for Women award.[2]

According to Steven Sund and Tarik Johnson, formerly of the U.S. Capitol Police, while Pittman was the interim Head of the U.S. Capitol Police, she had specific intelligence that there was a planned insurrection at the Capitol at least two weeks before the January 6, 2021 incident.[9][10] According to findings in a bipartisan Senate investigation, a series of omissions and miscommunications kept that information from reaching front-line officers.[9]

Following the resignation of Steven Sund in 2021, Pittman became acting chief of the Capitol Police. She was the first woman and first African American to lead the Capitol Police.[2][11][12][13] On February 15, 2021, the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee, the union representing Capitol Police officers, voted 92% against Pittman in a vote of no confidence in her leadership.[14]

On December 5, 2022, the University of California, Berkeley announced that Pittman had assumed the role of chief of the Berkeley department of the UCPD, with her leadership beginning February 1, 2023.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Wild, Whitney (August 18, 2021). "US Capitol Police official in charge of intel on January 6 returns to that role". CNN. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Booker, Brakkton (January 11, 2021). "In Historic 1st, U.S. Capitol Police Name Yogananda Pittman As Acting Chief". NPR. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "The U.S. Capitol Police: Executive Team". June 16, 2016.
  4. ^ "The U.S. Capitol Police: Brief Background".
  5. ^ "Thomas Manger selected to take over embattled Capitol Police". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  6. ^ CBS Baltimore Staff (January 11, 2021). "Morgan State Alumnus Yogananda Pittman Named Acting Chief Of U.S. Capitol Police After Riots". CBS Baltimore. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Marcof, Bianca (January 12, 2021). "New acting chief of Capitol Police named". The Miami Times. ISSN 0739-0319. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Robertson, Thomas (January 10, 2021). "US Capitol Police announces new acting chief". WTOP. Hubbard Broadcasting. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Grisales, Claudia (January 25, 2021). "Capitol Police Chief: Records Prove Immediate Calls For Military Backup On Jan. 6". NPR. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Impelli, Matthew (December 4, 2023). "Ex-Capitol Police Officer Reveals How He Decided Jan. 6 Was a 'Set-Up'". Newsweek. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  11. ^ Rice, Nicholas (January 12, 2021). "U.S. Capitol Police Announces New Acting Chief — and It's a Black Woman for First Time". PEOPLE.com. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Dewan, Shaila; Watkins, Ali; Eligon, John (January 14, 2021). "The Capitol Police Had One Mission. Now the Force Is in Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  13. ^ Lazarus, Jeremy M. (January 14, 2021). "Day of reckoning". Richmond Free Press. p. 1. ISSN 1534-6889. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  14. ^ Watson, Kathryn (February 16, 2021). "Capitol Police officers give vote of no confidence in leaders". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  15. ^ Lempinen|, Edward (December 5, 2022). "For new UC Berkeley chief, building trust is the key to modern police work". Berkeley News. Retrieved December 6, 2022.