Congressional baseball shooting highlights security needs for lawmakers

Almost every time we see local lawmakers outside of the Capitol, there’s no security.

"We do not (have security) except for if we travel and are in large groups," said Rep. Robert PIttenger, R- North Carolina 9^th District.

[CLICK to read Wednesday's coverage of the congressional baseball shooting]

There would not have been any security Wednesday morning at the baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, if it wasn’t for house majority whip Rep. Steve Scalise. As a high-ranking member of Congress, he has a security detail assigned to him.

Authorities said Scalise and four other people were shot by James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois. Officers returned fire and hit Hodgkinson. He died from his injuries.

Several witnesses said the entire situation would have been a different story if Scalise’s security wasn’t there.

“It doesn’t take a security expert to recognize that it would have been a slaughter,” security expert Ross Bulla said.

Bulla is certified in security assessments. He said while Congress often talks about getting everyone protection, it’s not probable.

(James T. Hodgkinson)

“If you were to assign all of them protection it would be fiscally impossible. It would be impractical logistically,” Bulla said.

Members of Congress can request a 24-hour detail through the Capitol Police Board if there is a threat. Lawmakers might be quicker to make that request after Wednesday’s shooting.

“Clearly, we are in a difficult time,” Pittenger said. “We’re aware of it, we don’t stay really conscious about the matter but we try to be thoughtful.”

Local experts weigh in extra security needs

Security experts told Channel 9 an open area, like a baseball field, is difficult to secure. They said victims are in the open and a fenced in area becomes a cage, making it hard for the victims to protect themselves or escape.

Jeff Clark, who worked security in Atlanta during the Olympic bombing and provided security for President Barack Obama, said he understands the obstacles that Capitol police faced Wednesday morning while trying to protect Scalise.

“There are going to be trees and shrubs and places you can hide and people can approach from many different angles,” Clark said.

He said he knows the training Capitol Police receive and know that they would have identified the places where an attack would likely strike.

“When we are there, doing our security detail, we try to make sure that we keep an extra eye on the places that are more vulnerable,” Clark said.

The shooting at the congressional baseball practice, along with recent hostile town hall meetings, will lead to more heavily armed security for members of Congress, Clark said.

He said we have to understand the world we live in has to be secured and we have to do it with armed officers. Security expert Walter Kimble agreed with Clark.

“We can’t even go and practice on a baseball field now,” Kimble said. “We need to right now redouble our efforts on keeping our congressional members safe.”

Clark added that the extra security could mean bigger weapons. He said if an attacker sees that security has a rifle or a high-caliber weapon, they will be less likely to challenge the officer.

Cox Media Group