The day before an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, local police set aside radios for their Secret Service partners so they could communicate during the campaign rally. However, the radios were never picked up, leading to crucial information being lost during the incident. Three minutes before shots were fired, local police radioed about a man on a nearby roof, but the warning never reached the snipers, resulting in a delay in responding to the threat. After the shooter was killed, frustrations were expressed about the lack of communication between law enforcement agencies.
There were stunning gaps in communication highlighted in the aftermath of the assassination attempt, with details emerging about the forgotten radios that were never picked up by the Secret Service. A report from Rep. Clay Higgins revealed the failures in communication and how crucial information was lost in a confusing array of police radio chatter and command post communication. The Secret Service said they would investigate the decisions and actions of personnel related to the event and hold them to the highest standards. Higgins and other members of the congressional task force were scheduled to visit the site to further investigate the failures.
The Secret Service has faced criticism for the lack of coordination and communication structure during the event, with the agency acknowledging failures in their response. The lack of a unified radio channel for all law enforcement on the premises and reliance on spotty cellular service contributed to the breakdown in communication. The use of intermediaries and command posts instead of direct communication further complicated the situation. The agency has since implemented mobile communications apparatus and other security measures to improve communication during events.
Historical mistrust between federal and local officials exacerbated the communication failures, with agencies often operating independently rather than as a cohesive team. The complexity of creating a platform for agents and officers to communicate quickly will require a whole-of-government approach to fix. Processes that could have been put in place earlier, as well as a decrease in training exercises due to the pandemic, may have also contributed to the breakdown in communication. Acting Director Rowe has ordered changes in how events are managed to streamline communication between different agencies.
The communication breakdown on the day of the assassination attempt was also attributed to the manual process of communication between agencies and issues such as using the wrong radio channels. The establishment of two command posts, one controlled by local law enforcement and the other by the Secret Service, led to information not being effectively shared. In response to the incident, the Secret Service has ordered the creation of centralized command posts for each event to improve communication. The congressional task force will continue to investigate the failures in communication to ensure better preparedness for future events leading up to the 2024 election.
