Why the Secret Service keeps failing

Days after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, lawmakers and watchdog groups are sharply criticizing the U.S. Secret Service for how the gunman was able to reach the rooftop with an AR-15-style rifle 400 feet Stay away from, let alone shoot, the former president.

As more details emerged, it became clear that the Secret Service failed to properly perform its duties. “This is unacceptable,” said Secret Service Director Kimberly Chittel. Tell ABC NewsShe added that she has no plans to resign.

For example, a bystander spotted a suspicious man on the roof. Report him to the police Before the shooting, three snipers who assisted the Secret Service were reported by CBS News. Actually stationed in the building The gunman used the weapon during a campaign rally. The Secret Service argued that some of the blame should be placed on local law enforcement, with whom it worked to conduct the rally, but the agency Ultimately responsible for ensuring event safety.

The Secret Service’s failures last weekend were not isolated incidents, but rather the natural result of an agency that has long been in need of reform and has been plagued by scandals. Trump’s politicization The Agency Lack of transparency in the January 6 rebellion,when it Deleted text messages from his agent In the days leading up to the attack.

Several other high-profile incidents have also shown that the Secret Service was caught off guard, such as the 2014 incident in which a knife-wielding intruder jumped over the White House fence and Enter through the front doorThe agency’s overall culture has also received a lot of criticism, such as allegedly drunken agents Car crash at the White House In 2015, or when the broker must Repatriation from Colombia In 2012, he hired sex workers while providing security for then-President Barack Obama.

Perhaps most importantly, one of the agency’s major failings has been a lack of transparency and an unwillingness to admit mistakes. This is particularly concerning given that the Secret Service is tasked with protecting the nation’s highest-ranking officials while also keeping the country safe. Political violence on the riseThe agency needs to change if it hopes to avoid assassinations like the one that occurred over the weekend in the future.

In 2011, a gunman with a semiautomatic rifle fired multiple shots into the White House. According to Carol D. Leonnig, a reporter for The Washington Post“No one did a cursory search of the White House to look for evidence or damage,” said a Secret Service official who has reported extensively. In fact, it took the Secret Service several days to realize that a bullet had actually hit the White House — until a housekeeper noticed the shattering glass — and to notify President Barack Obama of the shooting.

The incident underscored how slow the agency can be to identify or report security lapses. It also showed how reluctant it can sometimes be to learn from its mistakes. “No one said, ‘Hey, let’s get everybody together and review what happened,’ ” said Jonathan Vacrow, a Secret Service agent who served on Obama’s security detail. In an interview with CBS News in 2021 About the incident.

That’s why the agency needs more routine oversight, starting with greater transparency about its failures.

After Trump’s assassination, Congress Announce A hearing will be held with the Secret Service Director on July 22. President Biden also said he has ordered Independent Review Understand what happened. These are all good moves.

But it’s clear that the Secret Service needs more oversight, and not just after a major operation goes wrong.

One solution would be for Congress to expand its investigation of the Secret Service beyond what happens at Trump rallies and make the findings public. It should answer questions about how many near misses there were — situations in which luck played a greater role in security than actual protocol. Growing connections What is the relationship between white supremacist groups and the Secret Service? Has the Secret Service adequately addressed these issues? Around its “frat boy” work culture? Did the Secret Service properly review its security procedures after incidents such as the 2011 White House shooting?

“Time and again, the Secret Service has chosen to cover up problems rather than solve them,” Leonig wrote. Zero Failures: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service, told CBS News in 2021. “It’s a great institution… but it needs a complete overhaul; it needs help.”

Most people think of the Secret Service as an organization that protects the president and other high-profile officials. But the Secret Service was founded in 1865 as part of the Treasury Department to detect fraud and counterfeiting. It wasn’t until 30 years later that it began providing informal protection for then-President Grover Cleveland. After the assassination of President William McKinley, the Secret Service made protecting the president one of its official duties.

The Secret Service still investigates financial crimes and fraud and provides protection for the president, his family and other officials such as the vice president or presidential candidates. But after the Sept. 11, 2003, attacks, the agency was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security.

One of the most obvious changes to the agency is that it now protects far more people than in the past. According to a 2021 report Although the Secret Service refuses to disclose the exact number of people it protects, reports show that the number of trips by protected personnel increased from less than 3,200 in 2010 to more than 4,000 in 2018, according to a study by the National Academy of Administration. Designated Secret Service protection His adult children frequently travel abroad, and other staff members in the government also frequently visit.

Based on assessed security risks, the Secret Service can generally deny protection to people other than those required by statute, such as the president and vice president, but the protection it provides often goes far beyond what is required.

Transparency is the first step in reforming the Secret Service.

But what is known about the agency suggests it has plenty of room for improvement. John Koskinen, a former IRS commissioner who helped prepare the 2021 NAPA, said: Report A survey of Secret Service personnel found that the agency needs more officers.

“This place would run much better if it had enough staff, but they are chronically understaffed,” Koskin said.

The report said staff turnover and under-recruitment led to inexperienced, overworked and overburdened employees. “The main finding was that as headcount increased, employee satisfaction also increased,” Koskin said, meaning that the more employees there were, the lower the turnover rate due to burnout.

Koskin said Congress should be concerned about staffing shortfalls, especially given the Secret Service’s expanding mission. For example, the number of people the Secret Service protects has increased, Trump’s demands Before he left office, he asked the Secret Service to provide protection for his adult children and senior officials.

However, it is unclear whether the staffing issues were related to the security breach at the Trump rally. Hired more than 600 new employees In 2023, the Secret Service recently Enhanced security Those close to Trump were skeptical of him before the incident. All the more reason for Congress to expand its investigation beyond what went wrong at Trump rallies to get a full picture of how deep the staffing problems are — and then throw more money at the agency so that, if necessary, it can be spent properly.

One question Congress should ask that could help address the Secret Service’s needs — from transparency to resources — is whether the Department of Homeland Security is where it should be. Before the 9/11 attacks, the Secret Service was part of the Treasury Department. But since it moved to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, questions have been raised about whether the agency is a good fit for the agency. Is there enough scrutiny or accountability?Integration into a large bureaucracy More than 250,000 employee.

“Given the importance of their work, are they getting the proper attention or are they lost in that vast organization day after day?” Koskin said.

Now, with the Secret Service under renewed scrutiny, Congress has an opportunity to examine the agency’s transparency, staffing issues, and the scope of its mission. Perhaps it’s time to rethink how the agency handles all three issues.