The Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump

Over the course of the last two days, I have watched a torrent of misleading social media posts on the attempted assassination of the 45th President Donald J. Trump. They are maligning the men and women of the United States Secret Service, and I feel compelled to address them.

As some of you are aware, I spent a number of years assigned to the NYPD’s Intelligence Division and part of my role was dignitary protection. In this capacity, I performed countless protection assignments, working hand in hand with the USSS, Capitol Police, and State Department Diplomatic Security. I was the principal architect of the NYPD protective security detail for both the planned visit of Saint Pope John Paul II at Shea Stadium and the actual visit at the Aqueduct Racetrack. I also did the security detail for President Bill Clinton’s visit to Shea Stadium for the Jackie Robinson Memorial. So I am extremely well versed in the planning and implementation of security details.

What happened in Butler, Pa. was an aberration and something I am still trying to wrap my head around. I do not have all the details, but what I will say is that there was clearly a breakdown. A full investigation of this incident needs to be conducted, preferably at the Congressional level and under oath, and swift action should be taken if warranted.

With this in mind, I will give you my thoughts, based on my experience, and what I would have done if this was my site.

To be successful, protection details involve the coordinated efforts of both the US Secret Service and members of state and local police agencies. The USSS simply does not have the manpower resources to provide 100% independent coverage, so they rely heavily on local law enforcement to augment their numbers. In NYC, the USSS was able to count on the men and women of the Intelligence Division which had decades of experience in protection assignments.

Since the building where the shooter was located was in the external perimeter, it was most likely allocated to be secured by local law enforcement by the advance team doing the security survey. Clearly, something happened, and that roof was left uncovered. The question of why this occurred is of paramount importance. Even though this rooftop was in the external perimeter, the fact that it was so close, and had a line of sight to the protectee, would make it a priority. If this had been my site, I would have had a post-stander assigned and would have personally ensured that they were in place before the protectee arrived for the event.

There are reports that civilians attempted to alert law enforcement to the threat prior to the shooting. I have seen nothing that counters this assertion, so I will take it as fact. If someone was notified and or assigned to this post, then we need to know why they failed to identify the threat and take action.

The next question that comes to mind is what the communication setup was. There can be a significant delay in relaying information if there is not a dedicated interagency communication hub. Was the information coming in from local authorities being properly relayed to their USSS counterparts? One personal story that comes to mind is the time we were transporting a dignitary via a secondary motorcade route. I was in the helicopter, doing a quick advance survey on the route, ahead of the motorcade, when we observed a bridge in the upright position on a maritime navigation route. The last thing you want is a protectee’s motorcade coming to a full stop. Fortunately, me and my USSS partner were able to alert the motorcade in time to slow it down, so that it never fully stopped, while a Highway Patrol car was able to get the bridge put down right before the motorcade arrived. It is an inconvenient truth, but despite the best planning, mistakes can and do happen and you have to respond accordingly.

I am also hearing widely disseminated reports that the Counter Sniper Teams (CST) in place were local law enforcement and I must take issue with this. The CST I saw in the news coverage is the USSS CST. A lot of time has passed since I did protection, but I cannot imagine a high-threat protective detail using the local law enforcement as the primary CST within the inner perimeter. I can only assume that this was a mistake in the rush to get information out. I back up this statement with the fact that the CST shown in media footage is wearing a USSS back patch on his BDUs.

What concerns me more regarding this is the lack of immediate action once the threat was recognized. The USSS CST is considered one of the best, for obvious reasons, and the distance between them and the shooter was ridiculously close. What I want to know is what the rules of engagement were? Was CST given the green light to take the shot, once the threat was identified, or were they advised to stand down? If they were told to stand down, what was the reasoning for this? Again, this is something that needs to be investigated fully.

I also want to address an issue that sickens me. Far too many people are disparaging the females assigned to the detail. The response from the protection detail was immediate and swift. In two seconds, they had secured President Trump, providing physical coverage and assessing his injuries. That Trump was not immediately evacuated has caused many to criticize the USSS, but this is unfair and speaks volumes about the lack of knowledge concerning protection. This is seconds after the shots have been fired, your protectee is hit, and you don’t know the extent of the injuries or if there are other threats. Do you exit stage left or stage right? The limo is a hardened location, but are you running into an ambush? These are the questions going through your mind and you need an answer from those ahead of you before you make things worse.

You had two CSTs providing over-watch, along with USSS Counter Assault and local tactical units providing close support. Additionally, there were other protective measures nearby that I will not mention for security reasons. The detail did what they were trained to do. Once it was made clear that there were no other threats, they evacuated. Each of them, including the female agent on the stage, willingly put themselves in the line of fire, using their bodies as cover for the protectee. If you have never done this, perhaps you should sit this one out on providing morning after commentary.

This also cannot be compared to the attempted assassination of President Reagan. In that incident, they were adjacent to the limo when the shooting occurred and therefore it was the only logical place to go.

Many are also attacking the one female agent for not being able to holster her weapon. In the aftermath of a shooting, when adrenaline is flowing freely and you are scanning for secondary threats, nitpicking on a topic like this is ridiculous. Making comments that disparage female agents says more about you than it does about them. I have over two decades in law enforcement and I can tell you that I have worked with females who were absolute beasts when it came to doing their jobs and ones I would gladly go into battle with. Yet I cannot say the same for some males I worked with. Remember the old adage: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

In the end, mistakes and failures will be identified and presumably heads will roll. Congress needs to find out whether there was adequate coverage of the former president, considering the unprecedented threat level against him, and this starts with having both DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle testify under oath. Until we have definitive answers, everything is just speculation, and I urge people to exercise caution until all the facts are known.

The level of vitriol, from politicians, pundits, celebrities, and social media personalities, and the repeated personal attacks against the former president, which have been going on since the day he first announced that he was running for President, reached their natural conclusion in this assassination attempt. As someone who had to deal with threats, I can tell you that this constant barrage of negativity serves as the foundation for warped minds to de-humanize a person and justify such actions. You can have a difference of opinion and you can hold different political views, but that is what we have a ballot box for. I am reminded of a scene in a British comedy show called ‘The Mitchell and Webb Look.’ During one particular scene, they portray two German SS officers and one asks the other: "Hans, are we the baddies?" Today, a lot of people, including the majority of the media, need to be asking themselves this same question.

In closing, I will say this: When you engage in 24/7 attacks, identifying your opponent as: ‘Hitler,’ a fascist, a threat to democracy, and other such inflammatory rhetoric, you are tacitly encouraging this sort of behavior. Anyone who has done this needs to have a ‘Come to Jesus' moment and take a long, hard look at yourself. If you are gleeful that there was an attempt, or saddened that the shooter missed, you need serious help. Corey Comperatore, an innocent husband and father, lost his life protecting his family, others were seriously wounded, and a former President of the United States was almost assassinated. Acceptance and encouragement of this type of action is the real threat to democracy, and it is time for everyone to wake up.

Remembering NYPD Police Officer Jonathan Diller

I am sitting here this morning feeling numb over the senseless murder of NYPD Police Officer Jonathan Diller.

P.O. Diller was killed by a career criminal, with over twenty prior arrests, including a gun charge, during a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens.  I did not know Officer Diller, as I retired nearly twenty years ago, but I am proud to call him my brother. It is a family bond, not born through shared blood, but of one much stronger: the shared blood of those we have lost since the Department’s inception.

Growing up in Queens, my dream was to one day be a New York City Police Officer. That dream came to fruition in January 1985, when I was sworn-in to the Department. That dream became a nightmare exactly one year later when, as a rookie cop, I responded to the murder of Detective Anthony Venditti. Less than six months later, Police Officer Scott Gadell, a member of my squad in the 101 Precinct was murdered. I worked with Scott the night before, and nearly forty years later I can still recall the moments of that last night.

These two events drove home the harsh reality of being an NYPD cop. In the following years, the list of those making the ultimate sacrifice would grow longer and funerals became a common occurrence. Each one a reminder to those of us attending of the dangers we faced daily and a testament to the Department motto: Fidelis Ad Mortem, Faithful Unto Death.

While Officer Diller’s sacrifice will be solemnly recognized by his family, both blood and blue, it will be used as a platform for some of the most vile and reprehensible people I know: politicians.

Already, social media is rife with commentary from members of the New York City political scene, thumping their chest and decrying this senseless act. Yet these very same people are the ones directly responsible for the environment that caused it.

The truth is, being a cop is a thankless job. You are the enforcement arm of the state, and your presence never makes anyone feel better. We have the power to arrest and take away your rights. Most times we get it right, sometimes we don’t. Despite the training, despite the overwhelming desire to do good, we are only humans, just like everyone else, but we are expected to be better and we should be. It is however a requirement for any civilized society. We are the ones who willingly sacrifice our lives to protect the innocent.

Over the last decade plus, I have watched with dismay this growing trend to vilify the police at almost every turn and I have written about it before: STOP BLAMING THE COPS. Tragedies, exploited for cause, used to disparage the men and women of law enforcement. I get the politicians; they’ve become so dishonest that we don’t even realize the true extent that they lie for political gain. What bothers me is the average citizen who believes them. Perhaps it is a lack of civics in schools now, but it seems to me that most people don’t understand how our system of government operates.

Blaming the police for enforcing the law highlights the ignorance of people. We are the enforcement arm, but we are not the legislative arm. We take an oath and our duty is to enforce the law. The police do not create these laws, the politicians do. They are the same folks who stand in front of the cameras (or get on social media) and attack the police when an arrest goes bad, but neglect to mention that they are the ones who made the laws they expect the police to enforce.  It’s a great job, because the average citizen buys into these nonsensical claims they make and keep re-electing them. Explain to me, like I’m three, how it makes any sense to you that politicians pass laws for the police to enforce, but at the same time condemn them for enforcing them? You’re damned if you do your job and you’re damned if you don’t.

I keep hoping that this will be the last time I have to express my outrage about another senseless murder of a NYC Cop, but I know it won’t be. It wasn’t the last time when I wrote about the deaths of Police Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora. Nor was it the last when I wrote about the death of Police Officer Miosotis Familia, or Police Officer Brian Moore, or Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.  

Having been a cop back in the 80s, when we were both short staffed and dealing with the explosion of drugs, I thought I’d seen it all, but as I look back, I realize how good we had it. Yes, the streets were dangerous, but the threat was always in front of us. We never really had to worry about being stabbed in the back by the politicians and, for the most part, the citizens supported us. I could not imagine trying to pursue my childhood dream of being a cop today.

The NYPD will soon bury our lost brother, and he will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to the rank of Detective. We will grieve his loss, alongside his family, but then the job will do what it has always done: Go back to work. Whether you like them or not, you need to remember that the men and women of the NYPD are the last line of defense; the brave souls who stand in the breach, against the violence and anarchy that lies in wait.

It would behoove the citizens of this once great city to wake up and decide who you are going to support. Those who work tirelessly to protect you or the politicians and district attorneys who have acted recklessly, who have pushed for soft on crime measures, and then lie and blame the police when those steps prove ineffective?

No one would be shocked if a child, who grew up watching one of their parents mentally and physically abuse the other, did the same thing when they grew up. Yet somehow we act shocked when our elected representatives sow the seeds of discontent, the fires of which are fanned by the media, that lead to these types of attacks being committed against on our police.

You elect them folks and they are your responsibility. If you no longer feel safe, if you are worried about becoming a victim every time you leave your home, then maybe it’s time to find new leadership. It took decades of NYC sinking into a cesspool of crime and poor quality of life conditions in order to elect Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It took much less time to piss it all away again. It’s up to you to change the course that the City is heading.

Don’t let Officer Diller’s death be in vain. Remember him when you head to the ballot box on election day; remember the wife and young child he left behind serving this once great City. Change begins when the good people of New York City stand up to the political cowards and say, ‘Enough.’

Passing of Country Music Icon Toby Keith (1961-2024)

It is with profound sadness that I woke up this morning to the news that country music legend, Toby Keith, passed away after his battle with stomach cancer.

Toby was an amazing songwriter and musician, but as an NYPD 9/11 First Responder, he held a very dear place in my heart. While he is known for such hits as: Should’ve Been a Cowboy, Whiskey Girl, Beer For My Horses, and How Do You Like Me Know? the song that resonated deepest for me was: Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 Terror Attacks, there were three defining songs: Alan Jackson’s Where Were You? Darryl Worley’s Have You Forgotten, and the aforementioned Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue. These songs seemed to encapsulate the many emotions we faced as a nation: Pain and Resolve.

Toby put into words what we were all feeling in those dark days of September:

“Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin' in from somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the fourth of July”

I remember once reading that it was a controversial song, and a knee-jerk reaction, and I felt dismayed. America is not perfect, but no country ever is, but there is a reason why everyone looks to us; wants to come here. For all our faults, we stand as a beacon for freedom and liberty. Our politicians might suck, but the average American has a heart of gold and will give you the shirt off their back if you are in need. We look upon the American flag with reverence, because we know the awful price that has been paid for the freedoms we enjoy. To paraphrase USMC General James Mattis, America is "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy."

It is a sad day for me, but, like so many of country music’s great singers, Toby’s music will live on. Outspoken, fearless, and unapologetically patriotic, he was undeniably country and he famously put into words what we were all feeling so many years ago. As a cancer survivor, and someone who lost his partner to this cruel disease, let me say this from the bottom of my heart: Fuck Cancer.

God Bless and Rest in Peace, Toby.

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2001

“Where were you on September 11th, 2001?”

It’s a question I have heard asked countless times over the last two plus decades. Everyone recalls where they were on that fateful day when they heard the news about the terrorist attacks in NYC, Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon. I’m no different, and I wrote about my story in my book: Where Was God? An NYPD first responder’s search for answers following the terror attack of September 11th 2001.

But for many of us, the memories of 9/11 don’t begin on that day. There is an emotional lead up that culminates in 9/10; the last day before our world was forever and irrevocably changed. I’m sure if I had the chance to speak with a veteran who was at Pearl Harbor on December 6th, 1941, they would share the same story. Remembering the last time that things were ever ‘normal.’

I remember September 10th.

I spent the evening watching Monday Night Football, sitting in bed feeling frustrated, because I had to get up early the next morning to cover the NYC primary election. I was glued to the game, watching my beloved NY Giants eventually lose to the Denver Broncos.  

That’s my last memory of normal.

At that time I had been a cop for over 15 years. I thought I had seen just about everything, but a few hours after waking up, I would learn just how wrong I was.

For the 23 members of the service we lost on 9/11, they never enjoyed another normal day. Twenty-Two years later, many of us have been forced to embrace a new normal, as we struggle with health issues due to exposure of toxins at Ground Zero. The scourge of cancer almost loses its sting when you realize that it is most likely not a question of if, but when.

You reflect a lot on the fact that 9/11 wasn’t a singular terrorist attack, but a generational one that continues to claim lives two decades later. It’s difficult to embrace normal when you get constant notifications alerting you that we’ve lost another first responder to a 9/11 illness.   

Tomorrow politicians and pundits will dust off the tired old mantra: Never Forget, but the reality is we are forgotten; only remembered one day a year and then put back into the closest until the next anniversary. The majority of them have never had to struggle with having a normal day. The constant political fight to fund the 9/11 Health Program proves just how quickly they forget and move on.

Today I reflect on what life was like before that day and tomorrow I will mourn those we lost; killed in the initial attack or its lingering aftermath. Tomorrow will be about ‘remembering the heroes,’ but knowing that the door will close again on September 12th for another year.

WTC Cross Photo courtesy of Anne Bybee-Williams © 2001

Interview with Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith (National Police Association)

I had the absolute pleasure of being interviewed by retired sergeant, Betsy Brantner Smith, for the podcast she does for the National Police Association.

Some of you might be familiar with Betsy, as she has appeared on a number of news shows, including Newsmax, and Fox.

Despite some minor technical glitches (rural internet being what it is), we managed to have a great time. Betsy is an awesome interviewer and we touched on a number of topics, including my career with the NYPD, my transition to author, and the state of policing.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Click on the photo below or the link provided at the botom.

or CLICK HERE: https://www.thefirsttv.com/watch/npa-report-andrew-g-nelson