Triangle law enforcement react to former President Trump attempted assassination

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The day after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the law enforcement community in the Triangle began to react to the Secret Service security response.

The attempt wounded Trump, another bystander, and left another man dead. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by Secret Service counter snipers.

"It's a very stressful thing," said law enforcement expert Dr. Roy Taylor. "That's why normally (big events) have a year planning cycle. But being this is a campaign season, the Secret Service doesn't get a lot of time. They may have a week or two notice that they're going to have a rally there."

In his decades of service, Taylor has worked inaugurations, the Republican National Convention, and other high-profile events.

"And we started a year, exactly one year before (RNC Charlotte 2020) and had meetings every single month. Conference calls during the month to make sure that we were getting prepared. Make sure we have all the people on the ground vetted, had credentialing for them. It's a labor-intensive situation," said Taylor.

ALSO SEE: Timeline: How the Trump assassination attempt unfolded

According to law enforcement experts, because Trump is a former President and not a sitting President, the level of Secret Service detail he receives is different than what President Joe Biden would receive.

"I think we need to be fair to the Secret Service," echoed Taylor. "Once he's the nominee for the Republican Party, he'll get a little bit bigger Secret Service detail."

The comments come as Crooks was perched atop a building adjacent to where Trump was speaking in Butler Township, PA, and considered outside of the security perimeter zone.

Taylor said for multi-agency details, such as Presidential and high-level dignitaries, all law enforcement personnel play a vital role.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Mike Fleer of the Wake County Sheriff's Office said his agency trains for high-profile events.

"The rings of protection that surround whoever we are protecting, everybody has a very specific role," he said. "You're expected to do your part in that role and nothing else more because that's the assignment you were given."

In late 2023, members of the WCSO participated in a training with the State Bureau of Investigation on how to protect VIPs and other top figures.

"In protection, you have to be right every time. Somebody trying to hurt somebody only has to be right one time," he said.

The Secret Service is continuing in their active investigation while they search for a motive and other details that will lead them to more information.

Trump, meanwhile, has since landed in Milwaukee ahead of the Republican National Convention that begins on Monday.