The White House has faced surprising security breaches in recent days, and in response, new locks have been installed. They may help prevent similar, or worse, incidents.
According to the Associated Press, a Secret Service agent was attempting to lock the door manually when an intruder pushed through it on September 19. Though the intruder, Omar Gonzalez, was caught without doing any serious harm, the incident highlights the risk.
There is, of course, a certain amount of public access to the White House, with tours and certain events open to groups or the public. There’s a delicate balance between this openness and the safety and privacy of the President and his family.
This balance is partially established by keeping only certain areas of the building public, and making others off-limits. Further protection is provided by security measures on tours: guests must show identification, and may not enter with guns or knives, or, for that matter, any pointed item, aerosol cans, or purses or bags.
However, the security measures proved inadequate to prevent Gonzalez from climbing over the fence, darting across the lawn, and pushing through the door. The New York Times reports that Julia Pierson, the Director of the Secret Service, spoke to a House Committee on Tuesday, saying she takes full responsibility for the breaches in the past month.
Pierson is promising a full review into the breaches, and assured the House Committee that there will be no further incidents. New, automatic locks are the first announced change to the overall security protocol.
The Obama family was not present during the most egregious breach, but there was a partial evacuation of those who were present, before the intruder was tackled by an agent. He’d made it across a large part of the first floor of the White House before being caught, and had a weapon in his possession.
[photo credit: Dan Coulter]
White House Doors Boast Automatic Locks After Security Breaches
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