Key Takeaways:
– Communication inaccuracies with local law enforcement hindered the Secret Service’s performance during Trump’s July campaign rally.
– Security failures allowed a gunman to open fire from an unsecured rooftop towards the former President.
– Ronald Rowe Jr., the acting director, outlined numerous protocol breaches, as well as complacency among some agents.
– The Secret Service’s latest effort to acknowledge their faults came following the arrest of an armed man stalking Donald Trump at a Florida golf course.
– The director at the time of the incident, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned, taking full responsibility for the security lapse.
Communication Lapses Mar Trump’s Security Detail
In a disturbing revelation, a newly released document indicates that communication mishaps between local law enforcement and the Secret Service adversely affected the unit’s effectiveness during a July campaign rally. Notably, this rally was where former President Trump was shot and wounded.
The five-page document chronicles a series of shortcomings leading up to the July 13 shooting at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. Trump sustained an injury to his ear during this disastrous incident.
Secret Service’s Failure
Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. painted a grim picture of the multitude of blunders from his agency. These included no clear directives from the Secret Service to local law enforcement, an oversight in rectifying the line-of-sight vulnerabilities at the royal grounds which left Trump exposed to sniper fire, and complacency in a section of his agents.
Rowe mentioned, “This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service. It’s important that we hold ourselves accountable for the failures of July 13 and use the lessons learned to prevent similar incidents.”
Details surrounding the shooting
The report offers a comprehensive overview of the “communication deficiencies” that occurred before the shooting. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight rounds in Trump’s direction from a rooftop of a nearby building.
Some members of the police force at the location were surprisingly unaware of the existence of two communication centers on the grounds. This mishap led to the significant issue that Secret Service officers were not receiving the transmissions.
The Problematic Communication Breakdown
The report noted the overreliance on cellphones instead of Secret Service radio frequencies as a point of concern. Vital information was passed in a “staggered or fragmented fashion” via mobile devices NOT through the Secret Service’s network.
The situation was tricky with Trump’s security detail as they were not informed about the focused efforts of state and local law enforcement to locate the suspicious subject. Had they been aware, they could have chosen to move Trump while the search for the shooter was in progress.
Positioning of Law Enforcement
The report scrutinizes the decision to not station any law enforcement personnel on the roof used by Crooks. A local tactical team was placed on the second floor of the same building, a measure questioned by multiple law enforcement agencies. Incredibly, there was no discussion or follow-up to change this strategic placement.
Looking Forward
The Secret Service’s comprehensive report is part of several investigations assessing the incident, including those by Congress and the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general office. The shooting, as well as another recent incident in Florida, underscore the need for a change in how the Secret Service protects public figures.
Despite the recent incidents, Rowe assured the public that Trump is receiving the ‘highest levels’ of protection and the Secret Service’s response in Florida is a prime example of their working procedures.