A former Secret Service officer said counter-snipers at the Pennsylvania rally where an assassin attempted to wound former President Donald Trump should have had “360-degree coverage” of the rally and surrounding buildings.
“I don't know how many they were, but they typically want 360-degree coverage,” former Secret Service agent Anthony Cangelosi told Business Insider. “So, that would be something to consider.”
Federal investigators identified the shooter as a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Cangelosi, now an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, said the first question police would likely ask is how the suspect managed to climb to the top floor of a nearby building undetected.
Butler Township Sheriff Michael Throop told The Washington Post that local officers encountered the suspect before opening fire, but that he was unarmed and took him to the ground.
For large events where a president or former president is speaking, the Secret Service on site typically works with law enforcement to design a “venue plan” that includes a model of the event venue and surrounding buildings, Cangelosi said.
Cangelosi said the plan will be crucial in helping investigators determine what may have gone wrong during the rally.
“Every single post — the personnel, the Secret Service, the uniformed officers, where they were located, what their duties were to protect the post, in this case, how they took care of the perimeter of the other buildings” is included in the site plan, Cangelosi said.
Cangelosi said the Secret Service sometimes uses “anti-sniper response units” that are stationed on the ground and can quickly assume position if a threat is detected.
“But time may also be of the essence,” Cangelosi said. “You may not have the capacity to get a counter-sniper response team on the scene.”
Cangelosi said snipers often have to make quick decisions when they spot a potential threat, such as an open window or someone sitting on a roof.
“What if you found out, 'Oh, I killed a child, a 20-year-old kid who loved what was protected, and he couldn't get in and he just wanted to get on the roof,'” Cangelosi added. “Nobody wants to be in that position.”
Cangelosi said he expects the Secret Service to step up security at future events. Trump has already confirmed he plans to speak at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin next week.
“The Secret Service understands very well that they have to be perfect all the time,” Cangelosi said. “If they're not perfect even once, they're going to come under increased scrutiny.”
