Ben Mannes: Secret Service hearing showcases a national decline in law enforcement quality

When I was a DC Metropolitan Police Officer over twenty-five years ago, regular collaboration with the Secret Service on protection details was a source of steady overtime pay. In my regular work with Secret Service agents and the officers of the Uniformed Division (who police the White House, embassy row, and special operations units on protection details), the professionalism of the agency was reflective of the high pay and benefits they receive. 

So what happened to the agency I worked with on details where we sat in an alley guarding hotel service entrances all night because the President was attending a banquet the next day? Clearly, the Secret Service that allowed a 20-year-old sniper at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, to mount the rooftop of a building occupied by law enforcement — a mere 150 yards from former President and leading candidate Donald Trump — was not the Secret Service of generations past. 

The perceived decline in the quality of law enforcement, ranging from local police to federal agencies like the Secret Service, can be attributed to a variety of complex factors that, in comparing the timeline of events in Trump’s shooting to the Reagan assassination attempt of 1981, was glaringly evident. 

At the Trump rally, Pennsylvania State Police Troopers notified the Secret Service of a suspicious person with a rangefinder on the ground, according to a Congressional briefing last Wednesday. A minute later,the Secret Service disseminated a lookout of a suspicious person with a rangefinder to the counter-sniper team and response agents on the ground. Despite this concern, the Secret Service allowed Trump to take the stage at 6:03 p.m.

Although the lookout was broadcast to agents on the detail, it was civilians in the crowd, not law enforcement, who alerted local police to the gunman on the roof of a building about 410 feet away from the stage, at least two minutes before the first shot was fired at Trump.

Two minutes later, exactly twelve seconds before the first shot was fired, video shows a Butler police officer walking around the building. Another video, which begins at 6:11:28 p.m. — five seconds before the first shot is fired — shows people yelling that the man on the roof has a gun. It shows people running to flee the gunman. In yet another video, people are seen spotting the shooter at 6:11:29 p.m., exactly four seconds before he opens fire. It shows people yelling that the shooter is “right here.”

Simultaneously, video also shows the Secret Service snipers behind Trump pointing their rifles in the direction of the shooter. One sniper appears to spot something about one second before the first shot rings out. Two seconds later, the attempted assassin’s first shots are fired.

So why wasn’t he stopped?

Three seconds later, at least three more shots were fired, followed by what sounded like an outgoing shot, as the crowd erupted into screams. Video recorded by a member of the audience shows Secret Service snipers appearing to aim in the direction of the gunman. A final shot is heard fifteen seconds later.

In response to the shots, Secret Service agents surrounded Trump, who was shot in the ear, as blood ran down his face. While they were swift to cover Trump with their bodies, it took a full minute and a half to get the former president off the stage and it wasn’t until 6:14 p.m. that Trump’s motorcade left the site of the attempted assassination.

In contrast, with 1981-era technology and no counter-sniper team on scene, the Secret Service agents on scene during the Reagan assassination attempt had the shooter, John Hinkley subdued and President Reagan secured in his moving limo in less than 31 seconds.

Former Army Ranger Don Ayala, who protected Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in active warzones immediately after he was elected, highlighted some of the perceived failures in the Secret Service response to the Trump assassination attempt for Broad + Liberty, ranging from their failure to stop the shooter to a slow response in securing him from the scene. “They did a good job in covering Donald Trump, but you need to get him off of the ‘X’ (kill zone)” said Ayala “and once they finally moved him off the stage, security loaded him in the limo on the ‘dirty side’ of the vehicle, where the threat was presented.”

So what happened? In examining a contentious congressional testimony of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, it appears that many of the issues that have plagued local law enforcement agencies in recent years has also impacted the Secret Service, where non-supervisory agents can make over $130,000 a year. 

More plausible than the conspiracy theories flooding social media, the American law enforcement community has been plagued by resource constraints, caused by budget cuts, which have created resource limitations that hinder training, equipment, and overall operational capacity. This has affected the quality of law enforcement services. Worse, the law enforcement community is facing record recruitment and retention challenges that have eroded the quality of field training and fraternal culture that solidify the length of one’s tenure on the job. Many law enforcement agencies face difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified personnel. Factors such as low pay, high job stress, and negative public perception can deter potential recruits.

Political pressures, changes in laws and policies, and societal shifts can impact the decision of many thinking of a career in public service, which limits agency effectiveness. As the media and left-wing politicians trumpet a narrative of long-standing cultural and systemic issues in law enforcement, such as racism, sexism, and resistance to change, the quality and effectiveness of these agencies have eroded with their morale. 

This lack of morale can be attributed to an outsized public scrutiny in law enforcement, driven by high-profile incidents broadcast by news and social media, which spotlights flaws within law enforcement as opposed to the far greater instances of service to the community these members provide. While this can lead to necessary reforms, it can also demoralize officers and cause many current and potential members to reconsider a profession where they may be politically targeted by elected prosecutors. 

Declining public trust in law enforcement, fueled by incidents of misconduct and abuse of power, can also hamper effective policing. Building and maintaining legitimacy is crucial for law enforcement agencies to perform their duties effectively.

A decreased budget and personnel base leads to inadequate training and professional development for officers just keeping up with attrition, resulting in officers being ill-prepared to handle the challenges of the job. As the nature of crime is ever evolving, with increasing sophistication in areas such as cybercrime, terrorism, and organized crime, law enforcement agencies need to grow, and their lack of manpower leads to a struggle to keep pace.

Lastly, there’s accountability. In Philadelphia, former Mayor Kenney pressured an effective Police Commissioner, Richard Ross to resign over a scandal that didn’t personally involve him – while retaining Commissioner Danielle Outlaw despite her presiding over the highest murder rates in the city’s history. At the same time, despite a host of scandals and record crime rates, the political opposition to District Attorney Larry Krasner has been abysmal, leading to his retention in office. 

In drawing a line to the Secret Service, the contrast couldn’t be starker. The assassination attempt on Trump rightfully led to scrutiny of the Secret Service. From the July 13th incident to a congressional hearing on July 22nd, many called for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. In that hearing, Cheatle faced questions about the agency’s failure to protect Trump, and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna emphasized her lack of accountability. Khanna pointed out that after the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981, which was far more efficient than the attempt on Trump’s life, then-Secret Service Director Stuart Knight resigned from his position. Knight’s resignation highlights his personal accountability and the gravity of the situation, regardless of his response.

The morning after her contentious hearing, after realizing that opposition to her spanned the nation’s current partisan divide, Cheatle resigned. The parallels drawn between these two incidents underscore the importance of leadership and accountability within the Secret Service.

Either way, this incident has highlighted on a national stage what the residents of cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, and Detroit have known for years – the quality of our law enforcement services is on the decline, and in need of both fiscal and cultural support from our leaders to restore public trust. 

Based in Philadelphia, A. Benjamin Mannes is a consultant and subject matter expert in security & criminal justice reform based on his own experiences on both sides of the criminal justice system. He has served as a federal and municipal law enforcement officer and was the former Director, Office of Investigations with the American Board of Internal Medicine. @PublicSafetySME

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