Secret Service to 'amp up' security at Donald Trump's next rally due to fear of 'copycat' killer: Experts

WASHINGTON, DC: Former president Donald Trump will give a speech in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, July 31, which is roughly 200 miles from the location where an assassination attempt was made on him earlier this month.

Security measures will be "amped up," experts told Fox News in view of the scrutiny the US Secret Service is under and the possibility of a "copycat" killer. 

Former special agent Kevin Maloy speaks on Donald Trump's potential threat in upcoming rally

"You have the expression 'copycats.' They say, ‘Look at the attention that [would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks] got,’ and they say, 'I want that attention,'" Kevin Maloy, a former special agent with the State Department, told the outlet. 

"I'm sure the Secret Service have amped up their efforts because, you know, you do have the fear a little bit of a copycat out there. He got that close to ultimate success that easily – maybe I could do something," he continued.

Former US SWAT commander Gene Petrino echoes similar sentiment

A specialist in active shooter situations, Gene Petrino, led Florida's Plantation Police Department's SWAT unit for 26 years. He told Fox News that there is "always a concern for copycat shooters," and that "a recent attack would most definitely tighten the security risk and response."

The fear of another assassination attempt isn't unfounded

There's good reason to be afraid of another assassination attempt. According to interviews with former Secret Service agents done by CBS Miami and ABC Chicago, assassination plots against John F Kennedy Jr were foiled in both Miami and Chicago within the three weeks prior to his shooting death by Lee Harvey Oswald.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, which boasts more than a million square feet of indoor floor space, will host the GOP nominee, according to its website.

The local Harrisburg Police Department will handle traffic control around the venue and Pennsylvania State and Capitol Police will support the Secret Service in securing the location, State Police told Fox News.

Former Hillary Clinton guard speaks on Donald Trump's upcoming rally

"You would think that [an indoor venue] would be easier to secure," said Kevin Maloy, who protected former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and former Secretary of State John Kerry. "But the potential size of the crowd jammed into the space, especially after the Butler event, could pose its own concerns with visibility," Maloy added.

Maloy stated that security sweeps of the stadium to identify possible weak points and places where a weapon or explosive could be hidden have probably already occurred or are currently in progress.

"We have already seen a big difference in [Trump's] security detail at the RNC. For his rally, I would expect to see the same thing," Petrino said, adding "I think you will see more distance between Trump and the crowd, and a wide pathway as he approaches the stage. I would be shocked if there weren't drones providing aerial coverage, multiple sniper teams covering multiple angles, and even K-9 teams." "I think he will not spend a lot of time getting on and off stage," Petrino continued.

Arriving and departing a venue are "one of the most vulnerable times for a protectee," Maloy said, because their timing and movement are predictable. 

"You want to consider alternatives to that main entrance – an underground parking lot, a back or side door, something with a back or side view," Maloy said, adding "If you can't do that, you want to tent the area so that you can obscure vision to that area."

Maloy stated that "access to these area should be controlled" because the venue has balconies, catwalks, and boxed seating that could provide a potential shooter with the perfect vantage point. He said that the maintenance catwalks would make the perfect location for counter-snipers in the Secret Service.

Additionally, he mentioned that in the event of another assassination attempt, a motorcade would be waiting for the former president outside as part of a planned evacuation plan. 

The close call in Butler, Maloy said, was either caused by "incompetency or complacency" within the Secret Service, but that since then, he has "[seen] lessons learned from the Butler incident."

"Their pride was not only dinged, it was hammered," Maloy said of the Secret Service. "They are a professional agency, overall. Everyone stole the Secret Service's protection book. Whether it was incompetence on some individuals or a series of individuals or complacency setting in, I don't know the answer to that – that's what everyone is trying to figure out," he added. 

Internet asks for more caution before Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally next week

Netizens suggested the former president take more cautious approach and proper precautionary measures prior to his rally next week. One X user tweeted, "If I were Trump I’d be wearing a bullet proof vest. Not risking that again. Especially because it was an inside job and the secret service is a government program. #Trump2024." 

Another wrote, "There wouldn't be copycats if they would have stopped the original cat before climbed on the roof." "The secret service has lost all credibility when it comes to performing their job, and doing so without regards to politics," echoed one while someone else remarked, "He needs to supplement with his own security but coordinated and in constant communication with both SS and local law enforcement." 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.