U.S. Secret Service Plans Raising White House Fence As Deterrent To Jumpers
Christl Leong | | Nov 20, 2014 01:42 AM EST |
(Photo : REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque) A member of the U.S. Secret Service stands guard in front of the North Lawn of the White House in Washington, October 23, 2014.
The U.S. Secret Service has been mulling plans to raise the White House's perimeter fence to enhance security, according to Acting Director Joseph Clancy on Wednesday.
A higher fence would boost White House security, Clancy said at his testimony at the House Judiciary Committee hearing, his first major public appearance as the Secret Service interim head following director Julia Pierson's forced resignation last October.
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The agency, in coordination with the Park Service, the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Regional Planning Commission, expects to review several proposals for the fence design and security set-ups in the coming months.
Clancy revealed that talks on the issue have already begun, keeping in mind the preservation of the White House's historic nature while at the same time, ensuring that the reinforcement of security at the mansion.
The revelation comes in the wake of a series of embarrassing flubs that has tarnished the Secret Service's once-prestigious reputation.
Speaking before lawmakers, Clancy acknowledged the damage the agency has suffered in light of recent failures, dating back to 2012 in the Colombia prostitution scandal.
On Sept. 19, Iraq war veteran Omar Gonzalez had jumped the White House fence and made it all the way into the East Room located off a stairway that leads to the family residence, before he was caught be officials.
About a month later, a second man identified as Dominic Adesanya of Bel Air, Maryland, also managed to scale the compound's fence but Secret Service dogs had quickly corralled-in the intruder, Reuters relayed.
According to ABC News, an internal review into the recent White House intrusions conducted by the Department of Homeland Security discovered several security blunders. The blunders had reportedly ranged from communication system errors to a canine officer, who at the time, had been taking a personal mobile call and had no tactical radio or earpiece, and caused him to realize too late what was happening in front of him.
Clancy said the magnitude of the agency's failure could not be denied and vowed to take immediate action and enact long-term reforms.
The White House fence currently stands at 7 feet, 6 inches, around the same height as it was 49 years ago since the Park Service has swapped an 18th century iron-molded enclosure with a fence some eight inches taller, the Christian Science Monitor noted.
As a short-term security measure, Clancy said a bike rack has been positioned in front of the fence as an extra obstacle.
TagsU.S. Secret Service, White House fence, Joseph Clancy, julia pierson, Omar Gonzalez, Dominic Adesanya, 2012 Colombia prostitution scandal, Department of Homeland Security, House Judiciary Committee, politics
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