CONNOQUENESSING, Pa. – Recent transcripts of law enforcement communications from the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, reveal a communication framework that effectively kept local and federal law enforcement agencies apart during critical moments.
Communications detailed by the Washington Post on Sunday also underscore the role that unreliable cellular service in the rural Allegheny Valley played in hindering the transfer of vital information, such as an officer’s photo of the suspicious individual Thomas Crooks.
As per the encrypted radio discussions acquired by the newspaper, at 5:42 p.m. ET on July 13, a local law enforcement counter-sniper reported a “younger White male [with] long hair” who was “lurking” around the AGR glass company building near the Butler Farm Show grounds but had since vanished from sight.
Within half an hour, that individual, Thomas Crooks, would fire shots at former President Trump from the roof of the low-rise building, resulting in the death of a local firefighter.
BUTLER LAWMAKER CRITICIZES ‘INAPPROPRIATE’ HANDLING OF LOCAL POLICE AFTER TRUMP INCIDENT: ‘THROWN UNDER THE BUS’
A flag is lowered to half-mast at the front entrance of the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital )
However, that warning from the local officer did not reach the U.S. Secret Service, as the transmission was directed to a trailer where local police commanders were operating—and was separate from the president’s detail, as reported by Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger along with another law enforcement source.
According to the Post, the police commander stationed in the trailer reached out to a Pennsylvania state trooper to relay the message.
There were at least three other significant instances where information had to be communicated via cellphone, at a location where, similar to sporting events, crowds frequently disrupt the network frequency.
The director of emergency services from nearby Beaver County, which provided personnel for the event, stated that agencies should remain integrated and have representatives in “the same room.”
TOP DEMOCRAT WHO VISITED BUTLER SAYS LOCAL OFFICIALS DEMANDED ‘WE NEED TO TALK MORE’ ABOUT USSS FAILURES
Rep. Glenn Ivey, left, converses with Rep. Bennie Thompson in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 22, 2024. A bipartisan group of lawmakers visited the site of the July 13 assassination attempt. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital )
Butler County Sgt. Edward Lenz, the commander of the “ESU” or emergency services unit, had been following the radio traffic and called a state police sergeant after Crooks was observed with a range-finder.
The sergeant subsequently relayed the message to Secret Service personnel in the trailer where he was based, according to the report.
Efforts to contact Lenz for further inquiries were unsuccessful.
Intermittent cell service continued to obstruct the investigation into Crooks, as a local officer indicated he was trying to relay a photo via phone.
A sniper from Beaver County later identified Crooks near the glass company building, who was carrying a backpack and moved around inside the building while trying to maintain visual contact. Sgt. Greg Nicol was later commended by Beaver County officials for his “traditional police work.”
Nicol then communicated that Crooks “went toward the Sheetz”—referring to the gas station chain’s location just over a block east from the AGR building.
Former President Trump gestures with a bloodied face after multiple shots were fired during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
According to a graphic from the Post, Crooks may have ascended the roof using an HVAC unit located on the far side of the AGR glass complex.
Various videos have captured Crooks moving around the roof at that time.
Once a police officer was finally able to peek over the roof’s edge, they spotted Crooks armed with a rifle, as previously reported.
The Post stated that as Lenz communicated with the QRF—”quick response force”—regarding the armed threat, shots were subsequently fired.
On Wednesday, District Attorney Goldinger expressed that local officials’ concerns were not addressed by federal agents, effectively leaving locals to establish their own command center, as reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Law enforcement officers from Butler, Beaver, and Washington Counties are said to have established their command post on the morning of the rally. The Secret Service’s command post was set up at the back of the site—toward the direction Trump would be facing from the dais—while the county command trailer was positioned to the stage-left of the former president. Crook’s position atop the AGR glass company building was stage-right.
In response to inquiries regarding the Post’s findings, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi stated that the agency is “dedicated to thoroughly comprehending what occurred before, during, and after the assassination attempt against former President Trump to prevent any future incidents.”
“This includes a comprehensive mission assurance investigation by our Office of Professional Responsibility, which will carefully examine every aspect of the event, along with complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other pertinent investigations.”
