‘Off the charts’: Secret Service describes rising threats to protectees

WASHINGTON — The Secret Service has opened more than 10,000 investigations this year into threats against people it protects, a 40% rise over the same period last year, officials said Wednesday.

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Director Sean Curran told reporters at a briefing that the volatile political climate has reached a new level that he has not seen in his 24-year career.

He said the threat numbers are “off the charts.”

Despite the heightened environment — President Donald Trump has been the target of at least three assassination attempts — Curran and other senior leaders at the agency tasked with protecting Trump and other high-profile politicians are confident in security plans ahead of the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this week.

In April, a gunman stormed a security checkpoint , fired on an officer and was subdued before he reached the ballroom in Washington where Trump, the first lady, Cabinet officials and more than 2,600 journalists and other guests were in attendance.

Friday’s event will be held at a different Washington hotel with a much smaller ballroom and fewer guests. Trump is expected to attend and speak.

Curran said law enforcement is prepared.

“We will always evaluate every site. And right now, we have an advance team there, and they will take back and they will set up a plan to set that site up for success,” he said.

Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said the agency does not see a shadow cast by the April incident.

“We’re not looking at this as a redo of a dinner,” he said. “We’re looking at this as a presidential site with Cabinet members and other protectees there, just like every site we do everywhere we go.”

Curran said the security perimeter at the Washington Hilton worked because the gunman was kept a significant distance from Trump.

“We’re talking almost 120 yards from magnetometers to podium. That’s over a football field,” he said.

Beyond planning for Friday’s high-profile event, officials provided new insights about another emerging threat: drones.

The foiled plot to attack the June UFC fights at the White House included use of drones, according to court documents. Officials said they are deploying new detection methods around the White House and when the president travels.

“We’re also moving these assets around with the president, some of which is the first time used on American soil ever,” Curran said.

Officials acknowledged that the drone technology and its use by those with bad intent is rapidly changing. “Fiber-optic control drones now, dark drones. So it’s a constant chase to keep up with it,” Quinn said.

The Secret Service’s work to protect the president and others also includes tapping into international intelligence and increasing cooperation with the nation’s intelligence agencies.

Officials said terrorist and criminal groups continue to target high-profile venues.

“Iran has publicly said they want to kill President Trump,” Quinn said.

Curran declined to discuss specifics about security concerns around the use of a Qatari-donated 747 as Air Force One. Trump swapped planes this month when he left Turkey after the NATO summit and has since announced that improvements would be made to the airplane .

The public has an important role to play in helping identify when someone might turn to violence; based on research and their protective intelligence investigations, many perpetrators share common traits, the Secret Service officials said.

They frequently share concerning behaviors and communications and show obsessive interest in violence, stalking and harassment. They often exhibit mental health issues, including paranoia, hallucination, delusion, depression and suicidal thoughts.

And officials said research found that 95% of suspects had shared their intentions with those around them.

The Secret Service said it has seen a tenfold increase in mental health interventions of subjects known to the Secret Service and whose behavior has become increasingly erratic, which can include people being committed for medical treatment.

The Secret Service says it is devoting more attention and resources to de-escalating potentially dangerous situations in which mental health is a factor.

Curran said a plan to fence Lafayette Square near the White House as a safety measure was still under discussion.

“If it were up to me, I would put 30-foot fences up everywhere,” he said. “I like fences.”