By Michael Sauer
Staff Writer
For White House security, things were quite stressful.
On Friday, Sept. 19, military veteranOmar Gonzalez, who was armed with a knife, managed to jump the White House fence. He also had around 800 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle.
While he wasn’t armed with a gun on the White House lawn, his intentions were unknown, and he was arrested after the break-in. On Monday, Sept. 22, he was taken to court on the charge of illegally entering a restricted area.
Gonzalez was also taken to George Washington University Hospital for a medical screening shortly after his arrest, according to Jon Passantino of BuzzFeedNews.com.
The next day, another man drove through a vehicle screening area of the White House, and he wouldn’t leave. He was soon arrested.
Now, with all of these happenings in mind, should it raise questions about security at the most important building in the States?
John Vinzant said he was “not surprised that he (Gonzalez) jumped (the fence to the White House), since there is no security at the gate,” Vinzant, a political science professor at LLCC, recalled the time he visited the White House himself.
He said it’s “easier than expected to get in the building (White House), even with the three checkpoints.”
Vinzant said the White House has maintained safety.
“There have been very few attacks on the building, and none have been fatal, so far,” he said. “Even if someone got past the fence, the president should be well-protected enough.”
Dave Cox, however, had slightly different views.
Cox, a biology professor at Lincoln Land, said that “if someone broke into the White House, there are some definite security concerns. However, anything can be broken into if someone wants something enough. It would be worse if someone broke in without security knowing about it.”
He said that the White House has previously done well at preventing potential threats.
“From what I understand, with all the guards, metal-detectors, surveillance, and other things, the White House seems to be protected enough. … It is the digital threats that are more worrying than people on the lawn.
“Physical attacks are easy to handle, digital attacks are much harder to fight.”
Now, we must ask ourselves this question: Is the White House truly safe enough, or does security there need an overhaul?
Michael Sauer can be reached at [email protected] or 217-786-2311.