Full Breakdown
Secret Service Missed 102 Radio Alerts in Attempted Assassination of President Trump
7/3/2026, 4:47:52 AM
Missed Communications and the Butler Rally Shooting
On July 13, 2024, President Donald Trump was addressing supporters at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when gunfire erupted. The shooter, identified as Thomas Crooks, accessed a nearby rooftop that gave him a direct line of sight to the stage. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear, a bystander was killed, and several attendees were injured before law-enforcement officers shot Crooks dead.
Security Shortcomings Identified
A Department of Homeland Security inspector-general report found that the U.S. Secret Service failed to receive 102 local radio transmissions reporting Crooks’s presence. The agency instead logged only five phone calls and three text messages about the suspect. The report attributes the gap to the Secret Service’s failure to establish a joint communications room with local police, hindering real-time information sharing.
The same investigation highlighted a separate vulnerability: Crooks operated a nearly nine-minute drone flight over the rally area hours before the shooting. The Secret Service’s counter-drone system was inoperable, staffed by a single “under-trained” operator who had not tested the equipment and spent hours attempting repairs while the drone remained undetected.
Key Figures and Agencies
- Donald Trump – President of the United States, target of the attack.
- Thomas Crooks – Suspect who fired from a rooftop and operated the drone.
- U.S. Secret Service – Federal agency responsible for presidential protection; cited for communication and technical failures.
- Department of Homeland Security Inspector General – Author of the critical report.
- Local law-enforcement agencies – Received and transmitted the 102 radio alerts that the Secret Service missed.
Timeline of the Incident and Investigation
- July 13, 2024 – Rally in Butler; Crooks’s rooftop shooting and drone flight occur.
- Hours before the shooting – Crooks conducts a nine-minute drone flight that goes undetected.
- July 2, 2024 – Inspector-general report released, detailing missed communications and technical lapses.
- Early July 2024 – Secret Service issues a statement acknowledging the report’s recommendations.
Data and Statistics
- 102 local radio transmissions missed.
- 5 phone calls and 3 text messages received about Crooks.
- 1 civilian fatality; multiple injuries including President Trump (ear graze).
- 1 shooter fatality (Crooks).
- ?9 minutes of undetected drone flight.
Official Response
The Secret Service released a statement saying many of the inspector-general’s recommendations had already been identified and were being implemented as part of ongoing reform efforts. The agency emphasized that corrective actions were underway to address information-sharing protocols and line-of-sight vulnerabilities.
Criticism and Calls for Reform
The inspector-general’s findings criticize the Secret Service for inadequate coordination with local authorities and for operating an untested counter-drone system. The report urges comprehensive reforms to prevent “line of sight” exposures at future events and to ensure reliable technical safeguards against aerial threats.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
All three sources report identical figures (102 missed transmissions, 5 calls, 3 texts) and describe the same technical failures, indicating no direct conflict. However, the reports do not disclose the number of local agencies involved, the identity or training background of the drone-system operator, or the specific timeline for implementing the recommended reforms.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Instead, we found that the Secret Service received only five phone calls and three text messages about Crooks,” — Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s report
- “Many of these recommendations were already identified ... and have since been implemented as part of our ongoing reform efforts,” — Secret Service spokesperson
- “As a result, Secret Service members did not alert President Trump’s protective detail about concerns of a suspicious person.” — Inspector-general report
- “The flight went undetected because the Secret Service's counter-drone system was inoperable, it said.” — Inspector-general report
- “The counter drone system was manned by a single "under-trained" operator who did not test it before the event, according to the inspector general.” — Inspector-general report
What’s Next
Congressional committees and additional watchdog bodies have announced further reviews of Secret Service protocols. Upcoming hearings are expected to examine the implementation timeline for the inspector-general’s recommendations and to assess broader security reforms for presidential events.
