The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate (originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate from April 7, 1789 – 1798) is the protocol officer, executive officer, and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the Senate of the United States. The office of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate currently has just short of 1,000 full time staff. Duties One of the roles of the sergeant at arms is to hold the gavel when not in use. The Sergeant at Arms can also compel the attendance of an absent senator when ordered to do so by the Senate. With the Architect of the Capitol and the House Sergeant at Arms, the Sergeant at Arms serves on the Capitol Police Board, responsible for security around the building. The Sergeant at Arms can, upon orders of the Senate, arrest and detain any person who violates Senate rules, or is found in contempt of Congress. The Sergeant at Arms is also the executive officer for the Senate and provides senators with computers, equipment, and repair and security services. Staff and organization The office of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate has between 800 and 900 staff, of the approximately 4,300 working for the Senate overall. Its budget is on the order of $200 million per year. Top officials reporting to the sergeant at arms include a deputy; a chief of staff; assistant sergeant at arms for intelligence and protective services; a CIO; an operations chief; Capitol operations; a general counsel; two legislative liaisons; and a CFO. The main office of the Sergeant at Arms is in the Postal Square Building in Washington, D.C. The core computer operations are in that building, and the staff manages Internet and intranet connections to offices of senators both in the Capitol complex and back in their home states. History The Office of the Doorkeeper was created on April 7, 1789 during the 1st United States Congress to address the Senate's inability to keep a majority of senators in the Capitol long enough to meet quorum and conduct business. The Senate had first convened on March 4, 1789, but only met quorum for the first time on April 6, 1789, one day before the appointment of the first Doorkeeper, James C. Mathers. Because Senate sessions were held in private for the first six years, the Doorkeeper was in charge of access to