The Secret Service said it has made progress by implementing 21 Congressional recommendations after the shooting and adding another 16 as investigators continue to seek answers on what happened.
Emergency responders in PA West look back on Trump’s shooting anniversary
Butler County Emergency Services Director Steve Bishouse, Quality Assurance Director Chris Beck and 911 Director Rob McLafferty were on July 13, 2024.
- The Secret Service has announced that it has suspended six staff members for six weeks from the 10th to the performance in an attempt to assassinate Trump.
- The agency has implemented 21 council recommendations to avoid another close call, with 16 people saying they are ongoing.
WASHINGTON – The Secret Service disciplined six staff members with a halt ranging from 10 days to six weeks, the agency said in a report issued on the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s assassination attempt.
Trump was shot dead in the ear, and after audience members were killed at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, he was killed before the counter sniper killed the gunman. Of the 46 Congressional recommendations to avoid repeated tragedy, the agency reported that it had implemented 21 on July 10th.
Changes included improving communication with local law enforcement officials and creating an aviation department dedicated to monitoring locations where staff are visiting, ensuring resources are better deployed.
“A year ago, I was on President Trump’s side when a lonely gunman tried to assassinate him in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement. “I have maintained my experience on July 13th since President Trump appointed me as Director of the US Secret Service. The agency has taken many steps to ensure that such events do not repeat in the future.”
But investigators such as R-Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly, who led the task force that investigated the shooting, said they were still looking for answers as to what happened that day.
Kelly praised the agency’s transparency in the report and said he looks forward to working with Curran to restore the agency’s reputation as an elite law enforcement organization.
“It is important that we are committed to bringing Secret Service back to the gold standard of protection as we modernize missions that may be zero,” Kelly said in a statement.
A key issue with Butler was that federal agents were using radios different from local governments, and that they had to relay messages about witnesses reporting gunmen, delaying Trump’s removal from the stage.
The agency said it was in the midst of re-adjusting radio communications and updating its procedures. The agency also created requests for additional equipment and staffing.
Another major concern after the shooting was that gunmen used drones to scout the location before the rally. However, the Secret Service drone operators were unfamiliar with the equipment needed to investigate the area.
According to a Senate report, agents assigned to detect drones around the rally have had issues activating the agency’s equipment, ultimately referred to as the 888 Technical Support Helpline. By the time the rally began, the only drones detected by the detected agents had been flew by local law enforcement agencies.
According to a Secret Service report, agents have boosted resources for outdoor events, including drone detection and enhanced mitigation. The agency is still updating its drone policy, training drone operators and developing new aviation sector capabilities, the report says.
Following the recommendation to use Pentagon drone operators, the agency evaluated its partners but could not rely on it for protection as “we cannot guarantee that other agencies will always be available when necessary.”
