While the presidential candidates are campaigning, the Secret Service will be meeting with local law enforcement agencies to prepare for the visit.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn noted the shocking moment Sunday during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, saying the possibility of a gunman being shot at a political rally is rare but real.
“Who would think that they could go to a rally of a presidential candidate and get shot? It's always a possibility, but it's a minimal probability,” Wasylyshyn said of the attack at a Pennsylvania campaign rally, the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since the 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan.
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While presidential candidates are campaigning, the Secret Service schedules meetings with local police to help with road safety and patrol the events.
Local agents know the area well and can help ensure planning goes smoothly when a presidential candidate or other high-profile dignitary visits.
“The Secret Service has a lot of spotters and snipers, so you hope they can see everything, but they can't see everything,” Vasiliszyn said. “They explain who they need where, and we discuss the route and which hospitals we'll use in case of an emergency.”
However, no matter how much preparation you do, it's difficult to anticipate every possible problem that can arise at a large-scale event with many spectators.
Wasylyshyn said that in the case of attempted violence, such as the attack on President Trump, officers are instructed to respond immediately and to investigate how it happened once the situation is safe.
“We don't have time to ask for permission, we have to act on what we see,” he said. “We are trying to maintain peace. If we see anyone who is going to harm dignitaries or the crowd, we need to respond immediately.”
Investigators are trying to understand how a gunman was able to fire multiple shots at a rally, hitting President Trump, despite the Secret Service being present.
“Believe me, they are already beginning to understand what went wrong, what could have been improved, how they could have done things differently,” Wasylyshyn said of the investigation.
Wasylyshyn also believes the assassination attempt could have an impact on the speeches and public comments of presidential candidates in the run-up to November's general election.
“It will be interesting to see if the candidates change their behavior based on what happened on Saturday, which is very possible. Will they start doing it in hangars or enclosed areas?” he said.
