Security cameras installed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco reportedly captured the break-in before her husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked by a man with a hammer by an intruder last week. However, the cameras were unattended and Capitol police learned about the break-in 10 minutes after the incident when an officer noticed police lights and sirens on a live camera feed in the Capitol Police’s Washington, DC, command center, according to The Washington Post.
The Capitol Police monitor about 1,800 cameras each day, most at the Capitol complex in Washington but some at other points in the country. The Post notes the agency installed cameras at Pelosi’s home eight years ago and that she has a round-the-clock security detail. But she left her home in San Francisco last week, and the security detail left with her. The cameras were also not being monitored full time while she was in Washington.
The Post, citing current and former law enforcement officials, reported that officers monitoring the Capitol Police feeds early Friday only noticed there was an issue when they saw police lights flashing on the feeds from Pelosi’s home. The video of the break-in will now be reviewed by law enforcement to see where the system failed.
The news raises additional questions about how someone was able to break into the Democratic leader’s home. But it also reflects the ongoing difficulties the Capitol Police and local law enforcement have in protecting members of Congress amid a surge in violent threats.
As the House speaker, facing a near-constant target of conservative ire, Pelosi receives more violent death threats than any other member of Congress. But the total numbers against lawmakers have surged more than tenfold in the five years since Donald Trump was elected president.
The attacker, David DePape, is accused of breaking into Pelosi’s home seeking to kidnap the speaker and “break her kneecaps,” according to multiple reports.
DePape has been charged with attempted murder, burglary and attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official. He was ordered held without bail at an arraignment in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday after pleading not guilty.
