Yogananda Pittman
{{short description|American police officer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Yogananda Pittman
| office = Acting Chief of the United States Capitol Police
| term_start = January 8, 2021
| term_end = July 22, 2021
| successor = J. Thomas Manger
| predecessor = Steven Sund
| education = Morgan State University (BS)
| image = Yogananda D. Pittman.jpg
}}
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.{{Cite web|first=Whitney|last=Wild|title=US Capitol Police official in charge of intel on January 6 returns to that role|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/18/politics/us-capitol-police-yogananda-pittman/index.html|access-date=September 12, 2021|website=CNN|date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824090121/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/18/politics/us-capitol-police-yogananda-pittman/index.html|archive-date=August 24, 2021|url-status=live}}
She served as acting chief of the USCP from January 8 to July 23, 2021, following the resignation of Steven Sund.{{Cite web|last=Booker|first=Brakkton|date=January 11, 2021|title=In Historic 1st, U.S. Capitol Police Name Yogananda Pittman As Acting Chief|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/11/955598516/in-historic-first-u-s-capitol-police-name-yogananda-pittman-as-acting-chief|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114170050/https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/11/955598516/in-historic-first-u-s-capitol-police-name-yogananda-pittman-as-acting-chief|archive-date=January 14, 2021|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=NPR|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=The U.S. Capitol Police: Executive Team| date=June 16, 2016 |url=https://www.uscp.gov/the-department/executive-team#block-system-main:~:text=Yogananda%20D.%20Pittman,by%20Capitol%20Police%20Board%20Order%2021.04|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=The U.S. Capitol Police: Brief Background|url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11570|language=en}} Her term as acting chief ended at the time of the appointment of J. Thomas Manger.{{Cite web|title=Thomas Manger selected to take over embattled Capitol Police|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thomas-manger-capitol-police-chief/|access-date=September 12, 2021|website=www.cbsnews.com|language=en-US}}
Education
Pittman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Morgan State University in 1999.{{Cite web|last=CBS Baltimore Staff|date=January 11, 2021|title=Morgan State Alumnus Yogananda Pittman Named Acting Chief Of U.S. Capitol Police After Riots|url=https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2021/01/11/morgan-state-alumnus-yogananda-pittman-named-acting-chief-of-u-s-capitol-police-after-riots/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111141730/https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2021/01/11/morgan-state-alumnus-yogananda-pittman-named-acting-chief-of-u-s-capitol-police-after-riots/|archive-date=January 11, 2021|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=CBS Baltimore|language=en-US}} She later earned a Master of Public Administration from Marist College and is studying towards a Doctor of Public Administration at West Chester University.
Career
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.{{cite news |last=Marcof |first=Bianca |date=January 12, 2021 |title=New acting chief of Capitol Police named |url=https://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/new-acting-chief-of-capitol-police-named/article_57eb0ca0-550a-11eb-afdc-27023a504629.html |work=The Miami Times |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115081951/https://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/new-acting-chief-of-capitol-police-named/article_57eb0ca0-550a-11eb-afdc-27023a504629.html |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |url-status=live|issn=0739-0319 }} During her tenure, Pittman was assigned to the United States Senate Division and served as assistant chief of police for protective and intelligence operations.{{Cite web|last=Robertson |first=Thomas |date=January 10, 2021|title=US Capitol Police announces new acting chief|url=https://wtop.com/dc/2021/01/us-capitol-police-announces-new-acting-chief/|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=WTOP|publisher=Hubbard Broadcasting |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110221253/https://wtop.com/dc/2021/01/us-capitol-police-announces-new-acting-chief/ |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |url-status=live}} In 2020, Pittman received the Women in Federal Law Enforcement's Outstanding Advocate for Women award.
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.{{Cite web |last=Grisales |first=Claudia |date=January 25, 2021 |title=Capitol Police Chief: Records Prove Immediate Calls For Military Backup On Jan. 6 |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/25/971329984/capitol-police-chief-records-prove-immediate-calls-for-military-backup-on-jan-6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920053120/https://www.npr.org/2021/02/25/971329984/capitol-police-chief-records-prove-immediate-calls-for-military-backup-on-jan-6 |archive-date=September 20, 2023 |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=NPR}}{{Cite web |last=Impelli |first=Matthew |date=December 4, 2023 |title=Ex-Capitol Police Officer Reveals How He Decided Jan. 6 Was a 'Set-Up' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/capitol-police-officer-jan6-set-cover-riot-1849342 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205015651/https://www.newsweek.com/capitol-police-officer-jan6-set-cover-riot-1849342 |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |access-date=December 5, 2023 |website=Newsweek}} According to findings in a bipartisan Senate investigation, a series of omissions and miscommunications kept that information from reaching front-line officers.
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.{{cite web |url=https://people.com/politics/capitol-police-yogananda-pittman-new-acting-chief/ |title=U.S. Capitol Police Announces New Acting Chief — and It's a Black Woman for First Time |last=Rice |first=Nicholas |date=January 12, 2021 |website=PEOPLE.com |publisher=Meredith Corporation |access-date=January 14, 2021|language=EN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112150204/https://people.com/politics/capitol-police-yogananda-pittman-new-acting-chief/ |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|last1=Dewan|first1=Shaila|last2=Watkins|first2=Ali|last3=Eligon|first3=John|authorlink2=Ali Watkins|date=January 14, 2021|title=The Capitol Police Had One Mission. Now the Force Is in Crisis.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/us/capitol-police-washington.html|access-date=January 14, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |last=Lazarus |first=Jeremy M. |date=January 14, 2021 |page=1 |title=Day of reckoning |url=http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2021/jan/14/day-reckoning/ |work=Richmond Free Press |access-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117173503/http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2021/jan/14/day-reckoning/ |archive-date=January 17, 2021 |url-status=live |issn=1534-6889}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capitol-police-officers-give-vote-of-no-confidence-in-leaders/|title= Capitol Police officers give vote of no confidence in leaders|date=February 16, 2021|access-date=June 15, 2022|publisher=CBS News|first=Kathryn|last=Watson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216215355/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capitol-police-officers-give-vote-of-no-confidence-in-leaders/|archive-date=February 16, 2021|url-status=live}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Lempinen{{!}} |first=Edward |date=December 5, 2022 |title=For new UC Berkeley chief, building trust is the key to modern police work |url=https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/12/05/for-new-uc-berkeley-chief-building-trust-is-the-key-to-modern-police-work/ |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website=Berkeley News |language=en-US}}
References
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Category:African-American police officers
Category:Morgan State University alumni
Category:Marist College alumni
Category:United States Capitol Police officers
Category:University of California, Berkeley people
Category:American women police officers
Category:People associated with the January 6 United States Capitol attack
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century African-American people