FGCU expert weighs in on Trump assassination attempt, event security

After an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump left one bystander dead and two others injured at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, law enforcement expert and professor of forensic studies at Florida Gulf Coast University, David Thomas weighed in on the safety precautions taken at large events.

“There was an error, and I think there was a shortcoming on the Secret Service’s part,” said Thomas, referring to the assassination attempt. “I can’t imagine that building was not covered, especially because it was a rooftop.”

Reports show the shooter was able to get within 500 feet of the former president and fire from a nearby rooftop.

“I can’t imagine that building was not covered, especially since it was a rooftop” said Thomas. “If you need somebody on that building then somebody should have been on top of that building, it should not have been unprotected or unguarded.”

Thomas told Fox 4 that planning security measures for a political rally, or other events that draw a large crowd, can take several weeks.

“They actually study it to see what are the potential problems, they physically go out and walk the area to see what it looks like, and I would dare say that today they are going to use drones to figure out the outer perimeters,” said Thomas. “Everything that they do they will physically go and inspect, it takes weeks, months even to prepare and put together an operations plan for something like this.”

Thomas shared that some security measures are more familiar, like metal detectors, bag screenings and explosive detecting dogs. He said that law enforcement needs to employ every security measure they can to keep the public safe during large events.

“They have to, in order to be secure,” said Thomas. “Anything short of that, means that you have left yourself wide open and you haven't taken every possible precaution to protect the public.”

Thomas told Fox 4 that the assassination attempt on former president Trump will likely mean enhanced security for political candidates, and public events moving forward.

“It will make them reevaluate how they do things, so that they don’t have this type of thing happen to them,” said Thomas. “Nobody wants to be the person that this happens to, no agency wants that.”