Norton to Meet with Secret Service Director Clancy About White House Fence Security, Tomorrow

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will meet with U.S. Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy tomorrow, Wednesday, December 2, 2015, at 2:00 p.m., to discuss corrective actions the agency is taking to secure the White House in the wake of another jumper successfully scaling the White House perimeter fence on Thanksgiving Day. Norton said she wants to know why the temporary spikes that were added at the top of the fence did not prevent the jumper, Joseph Caputo, from scaling the fence. Norton also wants to ensure any improvements and enhancements do not necessitate moving the public back further from the White House fence.

"I appreciate that the Secret Service put temporary extensions on the fence until a permanent extension could be developed. The front of the White House is one of the most important First Amendment areas in the city, so public access to the front of the fence is necessary. Federal prosecutors have released Caputo from custody, and a judge ordered him to be monitored electronically, indicating that he apparently was not considered dangerous. However, we cannot afford to believe that future jumpers will continue to engage in stunts, rather than attempting terrorism. I want to know what the Secret Service has learned from this latest jump to ensure it accomplishes its primary mission of security for the White House while guaranteeing access to the public."