Orem, Utah (AP) – 2 weeks ago Charlie Kirk’s assassination In Utah, the Central California Sheriff’s Office conducted a three-day reconnaissance session. Conservative fire brand At a local church on a politically friendly territory.
Authorities investigated potential escape routes and identified local activists opposed to Kirk. On the day of the indoor event in Visalia, which attracted 2,000 people, 60 law enforcement officials monitored Kirk’s movements with the church and even deployed drones to secure a rooftop around it, Tulair County Sheriff Mike Bowe said.
“The fact that Charlie Kirk comes in requires special attention to the nuances of what can happen,” Bodrow said. “He’s a famous name and personality. We must not only provide the safety of those who attend, but also provide his safety.”
In contrast, last week’s Kirk outdoor event at Utah Valley University was open and open, but with much less security. Six campus police officers (about a quarter of the unit) participated in the event. The event attracted 3,000 people, Campus Police Chief Jeff Long said last week. The department has not said whether the nearby rooftops have been inspected. The suspect shot Kirk and killed him. From above the building It’s a few hundred feet away.
When he crossed the nation to spread conservative ideals on university campus, Kirk preferred to get as close to students as possible, allowing him to play conversations with passersby. His level of protection was very different. Campus police often led overall security, but Kirk’s private details focused on closure protection.
His assassination in Utah Valley has brought even more attention to the role that campus police departments play in protecting prominent and divisive politicians who regularly make university visits. Security experts have it I asked everything From the number of officers deployed to the decision to keep the event outside, Kirk ultimately became a direct line of sniper fires.
The university’s security plan is not part of the Utah Public Safety Department’s investigation into the shooting, department head Beau Mason said.
When Kirk spoke at Illinois State University in April, more than a dozen campus police officers patrolled a crowd of 700, with more officers looking at cameras trained in a building nearby from the Operations Center. In the same month, University of Wyoming police assigned about 15 officers to the appearance of indoor Kirk.
Otherwise, the arrangement was similar to the discussion last week in Utah. At Michigan State University’s outdoor event, Campus Tempering Point USA Chapter student organizers said there are between 8 and 10 campus officials. Kirk was the founder Turning Point USAone of the largest political organizations in the country, publishing chapters on high school and university campuses.
Each event was attended by approximately six Kirk’s own security team.
It’s difficult to secure an outdoor event
Security experts told The Associated Press that they hope that outdoor events will significantly increase vulnerability and will see more events being held indoors to protect against similar attacks. The university campuses are generally open and accessible and very susceptible to shootings, said Don Aviv, CEO of International security company.
Without monitoring rooftop access and blocking the shooter’s gaze, Aviv said:
Kirk has requested to speak outside in Utah Valley and can interact with students, spokeswoman Ellen Trenner told the Salt Lake Tribune. When he visited campus in 2019, he spoke in the ballroom.
Illinois State Police Chief Aaron Woodruff said Kirk’s team’s desire to make the most complex security plans possible is to make him accessible as complex as possible.
“It’s hard to protect someone when you have people on his sides,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff passed Kirk’s team over the phone to carry out a security plan, then went on-site walkthrough. Security cameras trained in nearby buildings allowed staff to monitor the rooftop and surrounding areas, Woodruff said.
The close-closed nature of Kirk’s interaction appealed to his followers, said Alex Bitznan, chairman of the TPUSA chapter of Michigan, helped organize an April event on campus lawns.
“People are drawn to open conversations. People are drawn to the fact that he is not scripted,” Bitzan said. “When you’re outside like that in public, I don’t know what it’s going to be about to resolve what happened last Wednesday.”
Daniel Schoenher, the photographer who covered the Michigan event in the campus newspaper, recalled police on foot and at least two or three campus police cars nearby. Access to the event was easy. Schoenherr estimates that over 1,000 people were there, many of whom are non-students. Kirk’s personal security quickly focused on the crowd.
“If someone throws a brick at Kirk, that won’t happen. There was a lot of personal security nearby,” Schoenherr said.
Experts say it’s important to monitor the rooftop
Assassination attempt Last year, President Donald Trump’s president in Butler, Pennsylvania, should have raised concerns about the vulnerability of sniper attacks from nearby rooftops, said James Hamilton, who founded the FBI’s close-knit conservation school.
“Butler told people it wasn’t that difficult to get a rifle. He stood up on the roof and filmed,” Hamilton said.
Private sector security must compromise on clients’ desires, Hamilton said.
A Utah Valley spokesperson did not respond to email questions asking for information regarding security plans, the assignment of the security officer, and whether the rooftop was inspected.
“This is a nightmare for the police chief,” Campus police chief Long said last week. “You’re going to cover your base, but unfortunately we didn’t do that today. That’s why we had this tragic incident.”
For the University of Wyoming event in April, campus police contacted Texas A&M and other universities, and Kirk recently visited to get a better understanding of how they handled security, said Campus Police Chief Josh Holland.
His officers checked the lock on the door building that had been granting access to the roof space. Netherlands said there were no metal detectors, but 1,800 participants were prohibited from bringing bags to the university’s Arts and Sciences venue. In Utah Valley, students were allowed to bring bags.
Turning Point USA did not respond to requests for comment regarding the security protocols for Kirk’s event.
The organization said last week that Kirk was subjected to “thousands of” threats, but always prioritized it by saying, “Always, many young Americans can surpass their personal safety.”
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Brooke reported from Lauer in New Orleans and Philadelphia. Associated Press journalists Jim Mastian and Jake Oppenharts of New York and Ed White of Detroit.
