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

[Michael Scheel]

Well the radio services wanted money to sell and install them. Locally a PD
looked into doing that decided just to install the frequencies no
infrastructure for dispatchers. No money for extras.

On Sun, Aug 4, 2024, 08:32 onecharliesix--- via FedCom <
fedcom at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> Then Why do we have a Nationwide 5 channel "National Calling" frequencies
> that are never put into use ?
> Jeff
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fedcom-bounces at mailman.qth.net <fedcom-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On
> Behalf Of bernieS
> Sent: Sunday, August 4, 2024 3:03 AM
> To: fedcom at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [FedCom] USSS radio interop failures at Trump rally in Butler, PA
>
>
> https://www.wsj.com/us-news/tech-failings-plagued-secret-service-at-trump-ra
> lly-49d2286e
> <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.
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