Assistant Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman has been named acting chief, after the department’s former leader resigned in the wake of the deadly siege at the Capitol.
Ms Pittman, a 20-year veteran, is the first African American woman to lead the department.
She joined the department in 2001 and has served as captain, deputy chief and bureau commander.
Steven Sund announced his resignation as police chief on Thursday, following the violent riot on Wednesday that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
The department’s lacklustre response to the riot, poor planning and failure to anticipate the seriousness of the threat have drawn condemnation from politicians.
In addition to Mr Sund, the Sergeants at Arms of both the House and Senate also resigned.
The FBI is also investigating whether some of the rioters had plans to kidnap members of Congress and hold them hostage.
