STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Throughout the weekend, and in the week that is now beginning, we are being clear with you about what we know and also about what we don't know. We should remind you that in a developing story like this, we learn new facts. Things we thought were facts turn out not to be true. Perspectives change, and our job is to be as straightforward as we can about all of that. Questions about the assassination attempt fall into at least two categories. One of them involves the shooter and his motive. The FBI has said little about that, but hopes to find evidence by gaining access to the phone of the man they identify as the gunman. The other category involves the Secret Service, which is supposed to secure events like this. Somehow, the gunman climbed onto a roof that offered a clear shot down to the stage where Trump was speaking. Bill Gage is a senior security consultant with Safe Haven Security Group and was a Secret Service agent under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Mr. Gage, welcome to the program.
BILL GAGE: Hi, good morning, Steve. Thanks for having me.
INSKEEP: Yeah, I'm glad you're with us. Many people have been looking at overhead shots and maps of this scene. I'll just remind people it's outdoors. The key building is off to the side of the stage, more than 400 feet away. Now, when you look at that map, when you look at that setup, what do you think about, given your experience?
GAGE: It's very troublesome, Steve, that someone was able to get on a rooftop at an outdoor event that close to a Secret Service protectee - in this case, a former president, major political candidate. So, you know, very worrisome that that was able to happen. When I watched the video, you know, first of all, I'm an American. I'm a voter. You know, I have two children. You know, they asked questions. You know, there was a time in this country when politicians would battle each other all week in the press and then have a glass of scotch and a cigar on a Friday night. But you know, this is where we are in America. And so when I see that as you know, a voter, as an American, I'm appalled. As a security consultant, I see that, and as a former agent, you know, I'm looking at that and wondering how in the world that happened. Now, when I first saw the news reports and watching the video, I thought maybe someone had smuggled a firearm into the event. But obviously, as it became clear and there was more and more news reports...
INSKEEP: Yeah.
GAGE: ...That he was actually able to get on top of a building.
INSKEEP: Well, let's talk about that getting on top of the building. I would have assumed, as a non-expert, that in that situation that someone would be standing on that roof. And after the shooting, Pete Souza, who's an experienced presidential photographer, published one of his old photos, and you see a guy with binoculars on a roof behind President Obama when he was speaking somewhere. Would it be normal that every rooftop would have somebody on it commanding the high ground in an event like that?
GAGE: So, Steve, you know, perfect world - a perfect world, there'd be 50 - what we know now - it's a Secret Service unit called the counter sniper team or CS, as it's called in the Secret Service. In a perfect world, there would have been 50 of those teams at that event. Unfortunately, you know, we have a law enforcement recruiting crisis in the country, and the Secret Service is not immune from that. And the standards to get hired by the Secret Service are even higher than most local law enforcement agencies. So it's even harder for the Secret Service to not only recruit, but to get people hired and through the process. So, in a perfect world, there would have been 50 of those teams, but we're in election season.
The Republican National Convention starts this week. There's probably 30 CS teams at that Republican Convention. So, just to circle back and answer your question, Steve, in a perfect world, yeah, there would be snipers or counter snipers on every rooftop, but it's just not the reality. The Secret Service is really stretched thin this campaign season. They have the most living presidents of any time. The Secret Service - their mission profile has expanded even from when I left, you know, when I first got hired, we were just protecting the president, their immediate family, and the vice president. By the time I left, we were doing the Vice President's grandkids. Both President Obama's daughters were very active. They had very robust protection. So the Secret Service mission profile has been expanding and expanding every year...
INSKEEP: Right.
GAGE: ...And the resources have not kept up with the demand.
INSKEEP: So you're saying that ideally, somebody would be on that roof or there'd be a sniper with command of that roof, meaning a view of the roof. When you secure an area like that, is it exclusively Secret Service agents, or is there a strong role, a significant role for local agencies or other agencies?
GAGE: Definitely a significant role for local agencies, Steve. And again, perfect world, the Secret Service wouldn't need any local resources, but the Secret Service is highly dependent on local law enforcement to help secure those venues. So, especially some of those outer perimeter posts, and I think it's now been released that there was a local law enforcement officer that either attention was drawn or someone had reported to him, you know, that there was someone on a roof.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
GAGE: And I think it's been reported he went to investigate and actually confronted the shooter and fell off the ladder. So yeah, the Secret Service - highly dependent on those local resources.
INSKEEP: And there also is an account from witnesses of a struggle to get attention, to get law enforcement to pay attention. It's useful what you're telling me there. But does it surprise you that in a crowded situation like this, that it would be difficult for people to communicate and get the word out, the alarm that they were trying to spread?
GAGE: Absolutely. I've been probably in hundreds if not thousands of Secret Service events during my career, very similar to that rally. And during the event, there's always reports of suspicious activity, a suspicious person, maybe an unattended package. And the Secret Service has to take a measured response to that, because think about if every single Secret Service event, agents are rushing the stage. So the Secret Service has to take a measured response, especially if it's the president, you know, a high-profile event, a former president - those type of things happen during every event. Now, clearly, they're not shooting, you know, someone's not shooting during every event.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
GAGE: But there's always suspicious activity. So there has to be a measured response, or it would be embarrassing to the president and embarrassing to that protectee, in this case, former President Trump, if every time there was a report of a suspicious person, the agents rushed the stage.
INSKEEP: People have to make a judgment.
GAGE: So unfortunately, in this case, they couldn't get there in time.
INSKEEP: People have to make a judgment. Bill Gage, senior security consultant with Safe Haven Security Group. Thanks so much.
GAGE: Thanks, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
