On the day before Donald Trump’s July 13 campaign rally, local police had arranged radios for Secret Service agents to use, aiming to ensure seamless communication between the two agencies. However, these radios were never picked up by the Secret Service, setting the stage for a major communication breakdown during a critical moment the following day.
During the rally, just three minutes before shots were fired at Trump, local police spotted a man on a nearby roof and radioed the warning. Unfortunately, this vital information did not reach the Secret Service snipers, who remained unaware of the gunman’s position until the shots were fired. The snipers quickly responded and killed the shooter, but not before he managed to fire eight rounds, demonstrating the severe consequences of the communication failure.
The frustration among local police was palpable. A responding officer, who had initially called out the presence of the man on the roof, expressed his anger that his warnings seemed to be ignored. This incident highlighted a significant gap in communication between local and federal law enforcement during the rally, leading to a broader investigation into the events of that day.
Communication Breakdown at Trump Rally Leads to Dangerous Missteps in Secret Service Response
Representative Clay Higgins, a member of the congressional task force investigating the assassination attempt, revealed that Secret Service agents had been reminded to collect their radios but failed to do so. This detail was corroborated by Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger, who noted that the missed opportunity to use the radios likely contributed to the Secret Service’s lack of awareness about the rooftop threat.
In the aftermath, the Secret Service has faced intense scrutiny for its handling of the situation. Acting Director Ronald Rowe acknowledged that the agency’s communication and coordination efforts were inadequate, admitting that the roof should have been covered. The Secret Service’s reliance on outdated communication systems, rather than more modern tools available since 9/11, was identified as a critical weakness.
To address these issues, the Secret Service has since introduced measures to improve communication at Trump’s events, including deploying a private cellular network and increasing security measures like ballistic glass and additional agents. However, the challenge of directly integrating local law enforcement into the Secret Service’s communication network remains unresolved, partly due to the complex security and encryption requirements involved.
Complicating the situation further is a historical mistrust between federal and local law enforcement, which has made collaboration and information sharing difficult. The Secret Service has established a task force within the Department of Homeland Security to explore solutions, but the process is expected to be lengthy and resource-intensive.
Moreover, the lack of recent joint training exercises between local and federal agencies, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has exacerbated the communication challenges.
The use of separate command posts during the rally also contributed to the breakdown, leading the Secret Service to change its protocol by requiring centralized command posts or the presence of representatives at local command posts for future events. As investigations continue, both the Secret Service and local law enforcement will likely face further scrutiny, with a focus on improving coordination and preventing similar failures in the future.
