[FedCom] USSS radio interop failures at Trump rally in Butler, PA

[bernieS]

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/tech-failings-plagued-secret-service-at-trump-rally-49d2286e

Tech Glitches Plagued Secret Service at Rally

BY C. RYAN BARBER AND SADIE GURMAN

WASHINGTON—Spotty cellular service, 
malfunctioning technology and unused equipment 
contributed to a major communications breakdown 
during the rally where a gunman tried to kill 
Donald Trump, just when law enforcement needed to 
share information the most, the top Secret Service official said Friday.

Among other problems, there were no Secret 
Service agents inside a command post set up by 
local police ahead of the July 13 rally, meaning 
critical information couldn’t easily get to the 
agency charged with protecting the former president.

“It is plainly obvious to me that we didn’t have 
access to certain information,” said acting 
Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe.

Urged by lawmakers to share more information 
publicly, Rowe offered new glimpses into the 
massive security failure at the rally in western 
Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old gunman was able 
to access a rooftop with a clear line of sight to 
Trump and open fire with an AR-15 rifle. A 
spectator was killed, two others were injured, 
and Trump suffered a bullet wound to his ear.

Officers had spotted the gunman, Thomas Matthew 
Crooks, and identified him as suspicious about an 
hour before the shooting, but lost sight of 
him.When an officer finally saw him on the roof 
with a gun, he notified other law-enforcement 
agencies over a radio system. But that radio 
message never got to Secret Service agents, and 
within 30 seconds Crooks opened fire.

“That vital piece of information
 did not make it over,” Rowe said.

Further complicating matters, some officers were 
communicating with each other in several 
different ways, such as by cellphone and text 
mes--sage,while others were using a radio system. 
That radio system was flooded with calls for 
people needing help, especially given the extreme heat of the day.

“The interoperability challenge, it’s not an easy 
fix,” Rowe said. “It’s not as simple as just 
trying to figure out the local frequency of the 
agency you’re working with and then typing that 
into your radio network. It requires a substantial technical fix.”

Moreover, a technical issue prevented the Secret 
Service from deploying a counterdrone system 
sooner that might have helped locate the gunman, 
who flew his own drone in the vicinity within two hours of the rally.

Officials meant to start using the technology at 
3 p.m. but couldn’t get it operating until after 5 p.m.

The agency also declined an offer from a local 
police force to launch a drone, Rowe said. The 
agency’s review of the shooting would examine why 
that offer was declined, he added.

“We thought we might have had it covered with the 
human eye, but clearly we are going to change our 
approach now, and we are going to leverage
[]
[]


Law-enforcement said it had trouble communicating 
during a July 13 rally where Donald Trump was 
struck in his ear. BRENDAN MCDERMID/ REUTERS

technology and put those unmanned aerial systems up,” Rowe said.

In the weeks since the shooting, the Biden 
administration and Congress have opened several 
inquiries into how Crooks was able to reach a 
rooftop about 400 feet from the rally stage and 
open fire on the former president.

The Secret Service is confronting that scrutiny 
during a campaign season where it is picking up 
additional protectees, including Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio.

The Secret Service is surging manpower and other 
resources to ensure the security of protectees, Rowe said.
“We’re going to make sure that we have all of the 
resources out there to address any challenges that we have,” he added.