9/23/2015 (PRESS RELEASE JET) -- Pope Francis, to alarming large cheering crowds and even a presidential reception, arrived in the U.S. Tuesday afternoon on a historic visit which poses a historic security challenge for the Department of Homeland Security. Joseph M. LaSorsa, Director of Operations & Training for LaSorsa & Associates, an international security and investigations firm, was featured in a recent interview with The Huffington Post in a discussion on the unprecedented level of security planned for the visit of the Pontiff. “The Secret Service” said LaSorsa “whose daunting task is only compounded by another large profile visit [Chinese President Xi Jinping] will spare no expense, resource or man-hours in the operation to provide security for the pope’s visit; he is in good hands.” He added “Some sources state no specific threats have been identified, however Rep. McCaul [Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security] announced an identified threat to the pope’s visit and even said the multi-agency initiative has thwarted at least one.”
The pope's six-day, three-city visit will be the biggest, multiple-day security event in the history of the Secret Service — which LaSorsa mentioned "...went to Rome in order to develop a better plan on how to protect the Pope during crowd interactions and while traveling." When Pope Francis touches down in Washington, D.C., it will be the beginning of an epic tour with 16 planned events and multiple open processions for millions. “The crowds throw things,” said Mr. Clancy, Director of the Secret Service, said in an interview. “They throw flags, dolls and, obviously, babies towards him. It’s difficult because we don’t want our agents to overreact. He doesn’t want to see an overreaction, either, but you don’t want to miss anything.” When Francis arrived in the United States on Tuesday for a six day visit, the Secret Service took the lead in what is considered by national security experts to be excruciatingly difficult: protecting a pontiff who does not want to stay in his heavily protected pope-mobile. "...the most dangerous times for at-risk individuals is when travelling abroad, most notably when in or near a vehicle." LaSorsa claims.
The Secret Service would not discuss how many agents and police officers would take part in protecting Francis during the trip, which will include stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. But with crowds expected to number in the hundreds of thousands, federal officials say it is among the largest mobilizations of security officers in American history. LaSorsa emphasized the need for proactive security measures in which the Secret Service has perfected, especially while protecting President Obama who LaSorsa says "...has seen a 400% increase in death threats over President Bush..."
Media Contact
Company Name: LaSorsa & Associates
Name: Joseph M LaSorsa
Email Address: jml@lasorsa.com
Website: http://www.lasorsa.com/