PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Following the deadly attack in New Orleans and fatal explosion in front of Trump Tower in Las Vegas this week, WPTV is asking local law enforcement officials what was learned from these incidents and how it'll be applied here.
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman sat down with Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw on Friday and spoke with him about the impact on security at Mar-a-Lago after those incidents.
Bradshaw said they've been looking closely at what happened to apply any lessons that have been learned to the safety of President-elect Donald Trump and the people of Palm Beach County.
The sheriff said they're using these situations as a way to look at the future of domestic terrorism.
Bradshaw said he and his team are bolstering security at Trump's Palm Beach home.
"We put a few more assets over there at Mar-a-Lago in concert with the Secret Service, and we're definitely in constant contact with them," Bradshaw said. "You got to be aware of what happened (in New Orleans and Las Vegas), and (ask yourself) is there an ongoing threat that could be transferred down here."
The attack in New Orleans killed 14 and the Tesla explosion in Las Vegas killed the driver.
"Now, if you've been over at Mar-a-Lago, you can see we use very heavy concrete barriers," Bradshaw said. "(Drivers aren't) going through those. What I've been told is it'll stop an 18-wheeler, so I'm very comfortable that nobody can go through or around our checkpoints to get into where it needs to be."
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When it comes to the use of explosives, the sheriff said the layout of Mar-a-Lago makes it difficult for those types of attacks.
"That's why you have the perimeter security that you have 24 hours a day so nobody could do that," Bradshaw said. "(There are) dogs that search the perimeter. We have drones that are up. It would be kind of hard for just a person to walk up and plant some type of device there."
Bradshaw said when it comes to protecting a president, there are layers of security and, at the moment, Trump's security can't get any higher. Bradshaw said that doesn't mean he and his team aren't looking to the future using these attacks as a guide.
"The barrier situation is going to get very tight, given what happened," Bradshaw. "So now they're going to have to figure out a way to get into a venue without having driven in there, so the next thing will be drones. So we're going to have to figure out how we're going to manage that."
All of this added protection costs money and it's a deficit investment for PBSO. Bradshaw also tells Hoffman that he will be speaking with county commissioners in the coming weeks for reimbursement on the protection costs.
