An independent panel is recommending that the United States Secret Service raise the fence surrounding the White House by four or five feet to keep out intruders.
The panel, commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security in October, urged the Secret Service to raise the fence well above its current height of 7 feet, 6 inches and to eliminate its horizontal bars, according to the Huffington Post.
The most critical thing a higher fence could provide Secret Service officers is time to react to an attempted encroachment of White House grounds, according to an executive summary from the study. Each additional second added to the time it takes to scale it “makes a material difference” in ensuring the president’s safety, according to the report.
A too-short fence also forces Secret Service to choose whether to use lethal force on someone who might not actually be a threat, such as a prankster or a mentally ill person.
Increasing the height of the fence is the top priority listed in the report, but there were other recommendations. For example, the Secret Service should improve its outdated leadership structure that leaves members under-trained and unclear about operational functions, the report states, noting that special agents received just 42 hours of training last year, compared to 576 hours for the uniformed division.
The panel recommended that the Secret Service recruit someone outside its rank to to serve as director and rework the budget of the agency.
The DHS report offers a number of condemnations and suggestions, such as a need for better leadership and accountability, as well as more human capital.
The panel supports Congress and the White House working together to find the resources for an additional 85 special agents and 200 uniformed division officers, a “first step” toward more adequate training and personnel.
