US Secret Service struggling to maintain staff: NYT
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The attempt on Trump's life "revealed deep problems in the Secret Service," ranging from a lack of technology to "failures in command" and communication.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by US Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP)
The US Secret Service lost about a fifth of its experienced agents by 2024, with the remaining personnel overworked, underpaid, improperly educated, and without the newest technology, The New York Times reported.
Kimberly Cheatle, the Secret Service Director, resigned in July after a close call that almost resulted in the assassination of former President and current Republican contender Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"The service was not ready," the NYT said on Thursday.
The attempt on Trump's life "revealed deep problems in the Secret Service," ranging from a lack of technology to "failures in command" and communication. For example, the Butler shooter researched the site with a drone, but the protective detail lacked one and their radios did not function correctly.
The NYT said the most serious issue has been "an exodus of the best-trained people," citing current and former agency workers. At least 1,400 of the Secret Service's 7,800 personnel left between fiscal years 2022 and 2023, marking the worst loss in two decades.
While the agency's personnel had grown to 8,100, its greatest level ever, by this summer, it still fell short of the numbers it stated it required. Concerns were raised about new personnel's health, as well as issues with how and where to train them.
The major training site is so "decrepit" that it frequently floods after heavy rains, according to the NYT.
The primary reason most veterans gave for quitting was "crushing amounts of overtime work," often for no compensation, due to a government wage ceiling. In a poll done by a federal police group, 68 of the 153 agents who replied stated they had "maxed out" on overtime last year, losing up to $30,000 in salary.
"You ride your horse until it dies, and then you eat it," Jonathan Wackrow, who left the Secret Service after 14 years, told the NYT of management's attitude toward its employees.
Another former agent, Louis Fitzig, stated that "nepotism, favoritism, [and] corruption" are intertwined in the agency's culture.
Meanwhile, a plan to compensate for attrition by rehiring recently departed agents failed catastrophically, as agents raced to retire early so they could get both a pension and an income while avoiding serving in the field where bodies were most needed.
US Secret Service says complacent in Trump assassination bids
Late last month, the US Secret Service disclosed numerous security failures following its review of the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a rally in July.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire from a nearby rooftop during the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump, the Republican candidate for the 2024 election, narrowly escaped with a wound to his right ear.
The review identified critical lapses in the planning and execution of security measures. Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. acknowledged the deficiencies during a press briefing. "While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols," he said.
Among the key issues, Rowe highlighted poor communication with local law enforcement and an "over-reliance" on mobile devices, which led to important information being "siloed" and not effectively shared. He also noted failures in mitigating line-of-sight risks, which allowed the shooter to take up a rooftop position unnoticed.
Rowe recounted when the Secret Service security room called a countersniper agent at 6:10 p.m. local time to report an individual on the roof of the AGR building. However, that crucial piece of intelligence was not relayed over the Secret Service’s radio network.
Two attendees of the rally were injured, and a third person, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, lost his life in the attack. Crooks was eventually shot and killed by Secret Service personnel on the rooftop.
