Local law enforcement plays a major role in assisting the Secret Service when a president or presidential candidate comes to town.
Captain Mike Eckert, Commander of the Tulsa Police Department's Special Operations Team said he is greatly concerned about the political climate and violence after the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
“The political climate that we’re living in right now, I’m not sure if anything is really going to be overly surprising," Eckert said. "I’m saddened by it, and I wish we didn’t have that kind of violent desire in society today, but it is a reality, and we have to be prepared for it.”
Eckert said his team is used to assisting the Secret Service when presidents come to Tulsa.
“Our primary role is to support the Secret Service in whatever function they need. We have a responsibility that starts after the Secret Service responsibility ends with manpower. They are going to have that close protection responsibility, and they’re going to be closest to the president or the vice president, and then we supplement them," said Eckert.
He said presidential events require a lot of man-hours and planning, and they always try to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Over the years, Eckert and his team provided security for Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Mike Pence, along with several First Ladies.
“We want to have a big of footprint as we can to offer the protection that’s needed without interfering or influencing what the message is or who the speaker is," said Eckert.
He said securing an outdoor facility like the one in Pennsylvania at the Trump rally is a lot more challenging because you can't control the environment.
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