From Butler to Trump: A Case for Streamlining the Secret Service

On July 13, 2024, an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Pennsylvania shocked the nation and underscored glaring vulnerabilities in the Secret Service’s protective measures. The attacker, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from the roof of a nearby building. Though Trump survived with a wound to his upper right ear, the attack claimed the life of rally attendee Corey Comperatore and left two others critically injured. This tragedy is the most serious security failure in the Secret Service’s history and serves as a stark reminder of the agency’s need for reform.

Now, with the appointment of Sean Curran as the new Director of the Secret Service, the agency has a pivotal opportunity to address these longstanding issues. Curran, a trusted member of President-elect Donald Trump’s personal security detail, exemplifies loyalty, bravery, and direct experience with the evolving threats faced by national leaders. His appointment marks a decisive shift toward prioritizing protection over bureaucracy. Curran’s leadership—shaped by his courage during the Butler attack and his familiarity with current threats—could usher in a new era for the Secret Service, one focused entirely on safeguarding lives. of protecting high-ranking officials while investigating financial crimes dates back to the agency’s inception in 1865. But in an era of increasingly complex and immediate threats, this duality has become a liability. Focusing exclusively on its protective mission would allow the Secret Service to allocate its resources, personnel, and training to ensuring the safety of national leaders. Drawing lessons from historical reforms and recent security failures, it becomes clear that streamlining the Secret Service’s mission is a critical step toward securing the future.

Enhanced Threat Assessment and Mitigation

When Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance,” he captured the essence of the Secret Service’s protective mission. By relinquishing its investigative role in financial crimes, the agency can redirect resources toward developing state-of-the-art threat assessment capabilities.

Advanced analytics, AI-driven surveillance, and partnerships with intelligence agencies could transform how threats are identified and neutralized. For instance, the agency’s response to the Butler attack might have been faster and more effective if it weren’t also burdened with investigating cryptocurrency fraud schemes. Concentrated efforts in threat assessment would provide the agility and foresight required to counter the evolving dangers posed by lone wolves and coordinated attacks.

Specialized Training for a Modern Era

As George Washington’s leadership exemplified, preparation and discipline are indispensable to success. The Secret Service must adopt this ethos to address modern threats. A streamlined mission would enable more comprehensive and specialized training programs. Agents could receive advanced instruction in close-quarter combat, counter-surveillance techniques, and rapid-response protocols—skills critical in moments of crisis, such as the Butler assassination attempt and the Trump golf club incident.

Recent incidents, however, reveal alarming gaps in marksmanship and decision-making under pressure. In two separate instances in Washington, D.C., agents fired at car thieves attempting to steal vehicles directly in front of them but missed their targets entirely. Similarly, during the Trump golf club incident, an agent positioned only five feet away from the assassin fired multiple shots without landing a hit. These failures underline the urgent need for advanced firearms training and rigorous scenario-based exercises to enhance precision and effectiveness in critical situations.

General George S. Patton reportedly described the Secret Service as “a bunch of cheap detectives always smelling of drink.” While harsh, this critique underscores the longstanding concern about the agency’s need for professionalism and focus. Specialization breeds expertise. A dedicated protective force, unencumbered by competing priorities, would significantly enhance the agency’s overall efficacy.

Operational Efficiency and Mission Clarity

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Lost time is never found again.” The inefficiency inherent in the Secret Service’s dual mandate costs precious time in responding to immediate threats. Bureaucratic entanglements and mission creep have hampered its ability to act decisively. By narrowing its scope to protection, the agency could achieve greater operational efficiency.

Consider the financial strain of multitasking. In fiscal year 2022, the Secret Service managed 1,756 foreign visits and screened over two million pieces of White House mail—all while investigating everything from counterfeit currency to identity theft. Streamlining the agency’s mission would optimize its budget and allow for quicker decision-making, ultimately enhancing response times in high-pressure situations.

Counterarguments and Their Flaws

Critics of reform argue that the Secret Service’s investigative role is essential, citing the synergies between investigating financial crimes and identifying security risks. While it’s true that tracking criminal networks can occasionally reveal threats to protectees, such instances are exceptions rather than the rule. Agencies like the FBI and Treasury Department already possess the infrastructure and expertise to absorb these responsibilities.

Moreover, the historical significance of the Secret Service’s investigative role does not justify maintaining a structure that compromises its protective mission. When the Founders prioritized “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence, they recognized the primacy of safeguarding lives over peripheral concerns.

Learning from Failure: Butler and Trump

The 2024 security breach at Butler represents the most serious failure in the Secret Service’s history. The attack, which resulted in a death, critical injuries, and a wounded former president, revealed glaring gaps in pre-event planning, perimeter security, and threat neutralization protocols. Despite the eventual success of the Counter Sniper Team in eliminating the shooter, the delay in identifying and stopping the threat underscores the agency’s stretched resources and divided focus.

At Trump’s golf club, another alarming lapse in protective coordination highlighted the need for reform. In both cases, the Secret Service’s inability to act preemptively and decisively stemmed, at least in part, from its dual mandate. These incidents demand not just scrutiny but transformative changes to the agency’s mission and operations.

The Path Forward: Reallocating Responsibilities

Sean Curran’s appointment presents a unique opportunity to implement transformative reforms. Unlike his predecessors, Curran is not a traditional bureaucrat but a protector who understands the immediate demands of securing high-profile individuals. His leadership offers a chance to refocus the agency’s mission, transferring investigative responsibilities to agencies like the FBI and Treasury Department while streamlining the Secret Service’s protective role.

The FBI’s established protocols for investigating financial crimes and the Treasury’s expertise in combating counterfeiting make them ideal candidates to take on these responsibilities. This shift would reduce redundancy, foster interagency collaboration, and free up Secret Service resources to enhance training, upgrade technology, and develop a more agile security apparatus.

Curran’s proven bravery in Butler and his hands-on experience with threats underscore the importance of immediate and decisive action. As a leader who has faced the dangers head-on, Curran is uniquely positioned to push these reforms forward and restore public confidence in the Secret Service.

Conclusion

The Secret Service’s storied history and dual mandate have served the nation well, but the increasing complexity of modern threats demands a change. By focusing exclusively on its protective mission under the leadership of Sean Curran, the agency can enhance its threat assessment capabilities, improve agent training, and streamline operations. Curran’s leadership, rooted in direct experience and loyalty, offers a rare opportunity to enact meaningful reform.

In the words of James Madison, “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” The Secret Service must seize this moment to reclaim its singular focus: protecting the lives of those who lead the nation. The time for reform is now.

The Secret Service’s storied history and dual mandate have served the nation well, but the increasing complexity of modern threats demands a change. By focusing exclusively on its protective mission, the agency can enhance its threat assessment capabilities, improve agent training, and streamline operations. The failures at Butler and Trump’s golf club are stark reminders that the stakes are too high for divided attention.

In the words of James Madison, “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” The Secret Service must reclaim its singular focus: protecting the lives of those who lead the nation. The time for reform is now.

If you don't already please follow @amuse on 𝕏 and subscribe to the Deep Dive podcast.