omar gonzalez

White House Fence Jumper Sentenced to Prison for Armed Intrusion

Originally published on June 18, 2015, at NationofChange.org

The Army veteran who scaled the White House fence last year and entered the East Room armed with a serrated knife was sentenced on Tuesday to 17 months in prison. Although Omar Gonzalez did not cause any physical damage, the Iraq war veteran did expose major flaws and incompetency within U.S. Secret Service. Amid a string of scandals and misconduct, the Secret Service has replaced a Director and six Assistant Directors in multiple attempts to improve failing leadership and tighten security.

At 7:19 p.m. on September 19, 2014, Secret Service agents noticed Omar Gonzalez climbing over the White House fence and landing on the North Lawn. As officers with the U.S. Secret Service’s Uniformed Division ran towards Gonzalez and ordered him to stop, Gonzalez rushed past them ignoring their commands. Although an attack dog was present, the handler chose not to release the canine fearing the dog might attack the other officers instead.

After racing across the lawn, Gonzalez burst through the front entrance of the White House where a uniformed officer failed to lock the door in time. The security alarm near the entrance had been disabled due to the fact that the White House staff had found it annoying. After knocking down the guard posted at the front door, Gonzalez ran across the hall and entered the East Room.

An off-duty Secret Service agent coincidentally leaving for the night tackled Gonzalez and detained him. While searching Gonzalez, officers found a three-and-a-half inch serrated folding knife in his front pants pocket. After searching his nearby vehicle, officers discovered hundreds of rounds of ammunition, hatchets, and a machete in his Ford Bronco.

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Drunken Secret Service Agents Crash into White House Barricade

Originally published on March 12, 2015, at NationofChange.org

In yet another example of misconduct and incompetence, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general has launched an investigation into two Secret Service agents caught on surveillance camera driving drunk and crashing into a White House barricade. Besides driving under the influence, the agents also disturbed an active bomb investigation by possibly driving over the suspicious package. Instead of allowing law enforcement officials to arrest the agents or determine their blood alcohol content, a Secret Service supervisor simply decided to send them home.

Around 10:25pm on March 4, a Pennsylvania woman exited a blue Toyota near the southeast entrance of the White House carrying a package wrapped in a green shirt. As the woman approached a Secret Service agent, she shouted at him that she was holding a bomb. After placing the package on the ground, the woman ran back to her vehicle and jumped inside with the agent in pursuit.

Opening the front passenger door, the agent ordered the woman to exit the vehicle when she put the car in reverse. After the open door struck the agent, he managed to reach inside the car and force it into park. But the woman shifted it back into drive and sped off before the agent could stop her. Officers immediately secured the area with police tape and called the bomb squad to check the package for explosives.

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Four Secret Service Assistant Directors Demoted Amid Scandals

Originally published on January 17, 2015, at NationofChange.org

Due to a recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report detailing misconduct and incompetency within the agency, the Secret Service has demoted four assistant directors and asked two more to retire. Although six out of eight assistant directors will be replaced, the acting Director and Deputy Director have no intention of resigning.

Calling for new leadership, taller fences, improved training, and holding agents accountable, a recent DHS report said the Secret Service was “starved for leadership” and recommended hiring an outsider as the new Director. In response, acting Director Joseph Clancy demoted Mark Copanazzi, the assistant director for technology; Paul Morrissey, the assistant director for investigations; Dale Pupillo, the assistant director for protective operations; and Jane Murphy, the assistant director for government and public affairs. Victor Erevia, the assistant director for training; and Gregory Marchio, the assistant director for professional responsibility, announced they are retiring while Faron Paramore, the assistant director for administration; and Craig Magaw, the assistant director for strategic intelligence and information, will remain at their posts.

Clancy has been serving as acting Director ever since former Director Julia Pierson resigned after lying to Congress last year. On September 30, 2014, Pierson testified to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. While reviewing the September 19 break-in at the White House, Rep. Jason Chaffetz discovered Pierson had neglected to inform President Obama about the CDC incident with the armed private contractor three days prior. During a visit to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention three days earlier, President Obama entered an elevator accompanied by an armed private contractor with three convictions for assault and battery.

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Secret Service Director Resigns After Caught Lying to Congress

Originally published on October 2, 2014, at NationofChange.org

After providing slippery testimony to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Secret Service Director Julia Pierson has resigned amidst multiple scandals and incompetency surrounding her agency. Failing to adequately provide protection for the president and the First Family, Pierson openly lied to congressional members regarding her failure to disclose all security breaches to President Obama.

On September 19, Iraq war veteran Omar Gonzalez leapt over the fence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and broke into the White House. Equipped with a three-inch serrated knife, Gonzalez was finally arrested by two off-duty agents after breaching five levels of security. According to an anonymous Secret Service official, the security alarm near the front entrance had been disabled because White House staff had found it annoying.

During a visit to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention three days earlier, President Obama entered an elevator accompanied by an armed private contractor with three convictions for assault and battery. Refusing orders to stop recording the president with his cell phone camera, the contractor was interrogated by Secret Service agents after Obama exited the elevator. The contractor was fired on the spot when agents ran his name through a database and discovered his criminal background. Secret Service agents were completely unaware the contractor had been armed until he turned over his gun.

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