White House Security May Check Tourists Blocks Away

Washington: The Secret Service is considering screening tourists and other visitors at checkpoints before they enter the public areas in front of the White House in response to the episode Friday in which a man with a knife managed to get through the front door of the president's home after jumping over the fence on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to law enforcement officials.

As part of the screening, the Secret Service would establish several checkpoints a few blocks from the White House, the officials said. The screening would likely be limited to bag checks and not include measures taken at airports by the Transportation Security Administration, which include metal detectors and body scans.

Along with giving Secret Service agents and uniformed Secret Service officers a chance to check for explosives and weapons in bags, the screening would allow them to interact with the visitors and try to identify those who may pose a problem, the officials said.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a continuing investigation or security measures under consideration.

The officials said it remained unclear how soon such measures could be implemented. Changes to the security around the White House are often complicated because the U.S. Parks Police, the White House Historical Association, the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and the Secret Service all have to coordinate the effort.

Although those agencies and groups are concerned about security, they do not want to restrict access to one of the most popular tourist attractions in Washington - or turn the area into a seeming militarized zone.

The Secret Service said on Saturday that its director, Julia A. Pierson, had ordered an internal review of the security procedures at the White House and how its agents and officers handled the intrusion. It occurred just after President Barack Obama and his daughters had left the White House for Camp David.

According to officials briefed on the review, one of the biggest questions senior Secret Service officials want answered is why officers on the grounds did not deploy attack dogs that are specifically trained to stop intruders, even those sprinting across the White House lawn.

At all times, there are several muzzled Belgian Malinois on the White House grounds, officials said. The early assessment by senior agency officials is that the dog handlers should have quickly removed the muzzles and unleashed the dogs.

Agency officials are also puzzled as to why the guard at the front door of the White House did not follow procedure and lock the door as soon as an alarm signaled that someone had breached the fence.

The man who breached the fence, Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, had been questioned in the past few months by Secret Service personnel outside the White House after they noticed him loitering. Gonzalez had not been arrested, nor was he told to stay away from the White House, as the Secret Service often warns people it is concerned about.

On Saturday, Gonzalez was charged in federal court in Washington with unlawfully entering a restricted government building while carrying a deadly weapon. He could face 10 years in prison.

Officers at the White House are instructed to hold their fire if an intruder does not appear to be armed. The officers do not carry Tasers, so they either have to hope the intruder stops at their warnings, tackle the person or use the attack dogs.

In the case of Gonzalez, he was not shot because he did not appear to be carrying a weapon or a pack that might have hidden explosives. He was found to be carrying a 3 1/2-inch knife. The law enforcement officials said that it would also be very difficult to determine whether an intruder was wearing an explosive vest.

The Secret Service often has to deal with people trying to gain access to the White House.

Less than 24 hours after the incident Friday, the Secret Service arrested a man who tried to enter the White House grounds with his car.

On Sunday, Pennsylvania Avenue was open again to tourists but there was a more visible uniformed Secret Service presence than usual.