Officer Howard Liebengood, 51, has been assigned to the Senate Division and has been with the Department since April 2005.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to your family, friends and colleagues,” said a statement by US Capitol Police communications director Eva Malecki. “We ask that your family and the privacy of other USCP officers and their families be respected during this deeply difficult period.”
The announcement did not indicate the official’s cause of death.
“We are suffering from the death of Officer Liebengood,” said Police Union President Gus Papathanasiou. “Every Capitol police officer puts the safety of others before their own, and Officer Liebengood was an example of the selfless service that is the trademark of the USCP. This is a tragic day.”
Liebengood’s father, Howard S. Liebengood, was an adviser to former Senate minority leader Howard Baker and served as the 1981-1983 Senate Arms Sergeant.