Former Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger, who served from 2004–2019, spoke on a wide range of topics during District 18’s monthly breakfast club at the Parkway Deli in Silver Spring Monday morning.
Manger discussed his job leading the U.S. Capitol Police, the state of law enforcement today, what he would like the next county executive to think about, plus his love for Montgomery County.
An Olney resident, Manger did not say who he wanted the lead the county next when Marc Elrich’s term expires, but he made it clear the new executive should not support defunding the police.
“I’m hopeful that we will have a county executive who understands the necessity of a good police department, who will invest to make sure that the police department has the training it needs, who has the staffing it needs, who has the resources it needs to do their jobs well,” said Manger. That doesn’t mean he thinks officers shouldn’t be held to a high standard. “Yes, hold them accountable. Absolutely hold them accountable,” he said.
“The police are a necessary part of a community,” Manger said, “We play an important role in the community, but we’ve got to understand we are part of that community. We are not some separate force.”
He and Elrich “did not always see eye to eye,” and still don’t agree on everything. However, Manger called Elrich “a decent man, and in terms of a guy you want to have a beer with, he’s top on my list.”
After Manger retired as Montgomery County’s police chief, he said he thought his career was over. Then he got a call from U.S. Capitol Police officials asking him to lead the 2,200-member force. He declined. They called again, and he declined again. The third time, they asked him to do it for his country.
“What do you say to that?” Manger asked.
Leading the Capitol Police is a far cry from leading Montgomery County police, he said. While in the county, he looked out for the community and was a part of the community.
As U.S. Capitol Police Chief, a role he held for four years, he was responsible for protecting the Capitol and the members of congress. “We have to make sure politicians can do their job without interruption.”
About the people who hired him and the oversight committee members whom he was responsible to, Manger said, “These people care nothing about good policing.”
Instead, they just want to ensure that everything is under control. “It was frustrating working for folks who had no concept” of what it takes to be a good police officer in a good department.
Manger took over the Capitol Police force after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol when morale was very low.
Problems within the department that were present during the attack have been addressed, including not enough officers and not enough proper training, he said.
“We are never going to be surprised like that again,” he promised.
During a question-and-answer period, Manger, who currently is an analyst for MSNBC, let his feelings be known about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard in Washington, D.C.
“ICE is being vilified for everything they do, but I will say this about ICE, they have a job to do. They have a legitimate job to do.” However, if it were up to him, he said ICE would not be masked and would bear some identifying information on their clothing.
“My God,” he said. “They are picking up nannies who haven’t committed a crime in their life” except for illegally entering the United States, he said. He would prefer agents go after the worst of the worst.
As for the National Guard, he questioned what they were doing and why they only seem to be sent to places where the governor or mayor object to Trump administration policies.
“Mayor [Muriel] Bowser, I think she has handled this nonsense as best as she could have handled it.”
When asked if he would write a book about his experiences, Manger smiled and said that he knows “too many things that would embarrass too many people.”
Former Montgomery County Chief and US Capitol Police Tom Manger spoke in Silver Spring to District 18 breakfast club Monday. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/VwzBuaJbGJ
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) November 10, 2025
