INDIANAPOLIS — There’s a lot of focus on the security measures the U.S. Secret Service uses to protect the President and Vice President.
Just over a week ago, a man fired several shots at a Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shots grazed Trump’s ear and hit three other people, killing one man.
This week, Vice President Kamala Harris is set to speak at the Indiana Convention Center. Former Indianapolis FBI agent Doug Kouns who now owns a company in Carmel called Veracity IIR (Intelligence-Investigation-Research). He says the public can trust that her security will be fully prepared to handle any situation.
“The presidential and vice presidential security are always well staffed and well planned out,” says Kuhns. “The visit is coordinated with state and local law enforcement, and the preparation begins weeks before a visit like this.”
Kouns says the Secret Service will send an advanced team to inspect the Indiana Convention Center before the event. They’ll look for potential security risks and think like someone who might want to cause harm.
“Lines of sight, roof accesses, manholes, anywhere someone can hide, they are going to try and restrict access,” he says. “If it can’t be restricted, they make sure they have someone there to cover it. That was the failure that we saw at the Trump rally. We had someone that had a pretty clear spot for someone to have a line of sight.”
Kouns says the Secret Service missed a serious threat against Trump that almost resulted in his death, but he’s confident that the agency has learned important lessons that will help improve their security measures in the future.
“Security will be heightened in light of what just happened,” says Kunhs.