POLITICO 2021 has exacted a toll on the men and women protecting the Capitol and Congress. Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman has acknowledged the strain her force is under, warning PTSD and morale issues could result from Friday's attack. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images Updated: Link Copied Last week’s attack on the Capitol Police is spiking fears among lawmakers about the mental health toll 2021 has exacted on the officers asked to protect them. Understaffed and overtaxed, the nearly 2,000-strong Capitol Police force lost three colleagues in three months and saw dozens more assaulted — violence that rivals the non-Covid death toll suffered by the police forces in entire metropolitan areas so far this year, trained on a force that covers only a few square miles. Tragedy struck again during Friday's car attack, which killed one officer and injured another. Its aftermath is exacerbating concerns that the force is in the midst of a mental health emergency.