The Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump: Secret Service and Bad Comms to Blame

A law enforcement official appears on stage during a campaign event with former President Donald Trump at Butler Farm Fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

On July 13th, former President Trump was rushed off stage after shots rang out at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, an incident that plunged the election into uncharted territory just days before the Republican National Convention. The FBI identified the suspect involved in the assassination attempt against Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park. One rally attendee was killed and another one was injured, and the suspected shooter was also killed. These are the facts of the case. However, the question remains, how did this happen? This article is an attempt to explain the gaps in security that allowed this incident to take place.

The Butler County Emergency Service Unit (ESU) was tasked with the following:

• Two Counter Assault Teams (CAT)
• Quick Reaction Force Teams (QRF)
• Counter Sniper Teams

Supporting Teams for Butler County ESU included:

• Beaver County ESU
• Washington County SWAT

Important Factors

Butler County runs the radio communications tower out of their 911 Call Center. That is pretty much the way radio communications work across America in every County, in every State. If their radios are “interoperable,” a visiting law enforcement agency is assigned a frequency, a “channel” for their operation while in that County. If their radios are not “interoperable” with the County Communications tower, then the visiting agency is assigned/offered actual radios to use while they are running their operation in the County. 

US Secret Service did not retrieve the radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County tactical command. The radio comms were properly arranged during the extensive pre-mission planning. 

On July 12, the Butler County ESU Commander personally reminded the USSS teams to pick up their assigned radios at the ESU Command Post RV, which was positioned according to planning at the Butler Fairgrounds, the following morning before 1100 hrs.

Crooks did not have a ladder on July 13. He accessed the roof by climbing onto an air conditioning unit. The climb was reenacted with no problem.

PARAMETERS FOR USE OF LESS LETHAL FORCE  FOR BUTLER COUNTY EMS

Where deadly force is not authorized, officers shall use only that level of force that the officer
perceives as objectively reasonable under the circumstances consistent with the level of resistance encountered.

Officers are authorized to use approved less lethal force techniques and issued equipment for resolution of incidents as follows: 

To affect an arrest, to prevent an escape, in self defense, and to protect another person. Additionally, officers may encounter non-arrest situations requiring them to:

- Protect themselves or another from physical harm;

- Restrain or subdue a resistant individual or 

- Bring an unlawful situation safely and effectively under control

Conclusion

Discrepancies created by the lack of effective communication whether it be the unused radios for the counter sniper teams and Secret Service or no loudspeaker/voice amplifier for the responding officers to warn Crooks off the roof, bad communication facilitated the success of Crooks' attempt on Trump's life.

Timeline of Incident

0900 – Briefing by Butler Co. ESU
– Washington Co. ESU
– Beaver Co. ESU
– Butler Co. ESU
– State Police – no input
– Bravo Team Leader Gives Assignments

10:15 – Beaver County ESU in place
10:30 – Vendor dispute at Main Entrance handled by Butler Co Sheriff
10:30 – Snipers in place
17:10 – First Observed Suspect
– Walked by window
17:14 – Picture of Suspect (time taken)
17:28 – Picture of Bike (time taken)
17:32 – Suspect spotted looking at phone, news feeds, and range finder confirmed through monoculars

17:34 (approx.) – Butler Co. Sniper texts Butler Team(assumed)
17:38 – sends text to group text to Sniper Group about suspect
17:40 – Response text to “Call into command”
17:41 – Called into command by about suspect (Butler 4 Command Frequency)
– 4 Sierra 2 to Command – communicated description and range finder lurking around Building
17:45 – Text sent to Beaver ESU Group Command about Suspect and to relay to command
17:49 – communication to regarding suspect and pictures
17:55 –  agents acknowledges receipt and passing it on to command
17:59 – to sent to Command and asking for direction of travel
18:00 – to asking for direction of travel for suspect
18:00 – to unsure of direction of travel
18:05 – suspect at picnic tables and moving direction of Sheetz, he has a backpack communicated via radio
– Bulter Sniper stayed in place at original position

18:06 – 18:12: – agent goes downstairs of building 1 to meet patrol to let them know suspect is around building on side of fairgrounds

Marked vehicle and unmarked vehicle pull in together
18:12 – Shots Fired
Unknown Time: Shooter Down
18:23 – agents climb black tactical ladder to L of Building 3 door to access roof
18:25 – Crooks pronounced DOA
18:25 – General clearing by Beaver County ESU with other agencies of surrounding buildings
18:32 – DOA Photo sent
18:35 – sends confirmation picture to command to confirm dead
18:46 – from Washington Co. ESU pats suspect down finds cellphone and device
18:48 – Cellphone and remote found in deceased’s right pocket sent to
19:45 – Device and Face sent Number provided by EOD sent phone number
19:46 – Facial recognition photo sent

Thomas Crooks' Explosives

Mr. Crooks might have attempted to detonate explosive devices but they were described as not viable as weapons. The explosives in Mr. Crooks’s car used a type of radio-control system for initiating fireworks displays, in which a single hand-held transmitter can broadcast a signal to multiple small receivers. These in turn send current to an electric match — a wire with a pyrotechnic compound on one end — that produces a small flame to ignite the firework.

 Picture from the scene of Alpha Fire detonator made by RFRemotech.

The explosives in Mr. Crooks’s car were composed of ammunition cans — one metal, and one made of plastic — that each had a cardboard tube inside, filled with the gray powder recovered by police bomb technicians. Each cardboard tube had the head of an electric match inserted, and they were connected to a radio receiver unit. The receivers shown in photos from the report appear to be identical to a model called Alpha Fire made by RFRemotech, a company based in Guangzhou, China.

Glossary of Terms

AGR - American Glass Research Building that was the crime scene

CAT- The Counter Assault Team (CAT) is a specialized unit within the U.S. Secret Service that provides full-time, global tactical support to the Presidential Protective Division. On order, CAT will also provide tactical support to designated protectees, protected venues, and National Special Security Events.

Counter sniper - an armed soldier or police officer whose job is to find snipers (people who shoot at other people from hidden places) and prevent them from killing.

ESU - An emergency service unit, alternatively emergency service detail or emergency service squad, is a type of unit within an emergency service, usually police, that is capable of responding to and handling a broader or more specific range of emergencies and calls for service than regular units within their organization, such as rescue, emergency management, and mass casualty incidents.

QRF -A quick reaction force, rapid response force/quick response force, immediate reaction force, rapid deployment force, or quick maneuver force is a military or police unit capable of responding to emergencies in a very short time frame.