A report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector highlights that the Secret Service is “chronically understaffed” and that snipers are 73% below the required number.
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WASHINGTON — The Secret Service, which killed the gunman who injured President Donald Trump a year ago, doesn’t have enough shooters and some haven’t kept up to the mandatory training, according to a WatchDog report.
Homeland Security Inspector Joseph Cafari, who did not reveal how many snipers have the agency, said the unit was “chronically understaffed” and was 73% below the required level. Heading into the 2028 presidential campaign, the shortage of snipers could lead to injuries and assassinations of top leaders, the report warned.
“Failing staff (counter snipers) properly can take risks, and limit the subsequent harm at the national level to national level safety and sense of security,” Kafari said in a September 2nd report.
Cuffari recommended that the Secret Service develop strategies to ensure that more counter snipers will hire more counter snipers and allow snipers to receive the necessary training.
The Secret Service agreed to both recommendations. The agency recommends hiring more counter snipers since at least 2022.
In a written response to the report, Sean Curran, director of the Secret Service, said he recognized the importance of having a specialized unit with highly trained and precise shooters.
“The Secret Service is committed to both the proper staffing of this feature and is committed to ensuring proper training,” Curran said.
The need for Secret Service countersnipers was reinforced on July 13, 2024 with an attempted assassination against Trump. The gunman fires eight shots from the rooftop near where Trump is talking, and gets injured in his ear before a countersniper from a secret service kills the assailant.
The inspector’s report adds to harsh criticism of the agency for preparing the event and its corresponding lapses. The lack of staffing for the Secret Service was a common theme in the review.
According to the report, the countersnipers earned 247,887 hours of overtime from 2020 to 2024. This amounts to 24 full-time employees.
Snipers who did not meet the mandatory recertification requirements were 47 or 11% of events attended by agent parents in 2024. The event included a Biden appearance at Wake, Dallas, Texas, on January 8, 2024. Campaign reception in New York on February 7th, 2024. Commented in Manchester, New Hampshire on March 11, 2024.
The Secret Service “needs to quickly hire and train a considerable number of countersnipers to meet growing operational demands and prepare for more than the 2028 presidential election cycle,” Kafari said.
