Secret Service agents are mulling an expansion to the buffer zone around the White House that sets off limits to drivers and pedestrians some adjacent streets.
The proposal comes in the wake of Friday night’s security breach, when a man armed with a knife jumped the fence and stormed the White House grounds. Now, Secret Service say they might have to clear all the sidewalks that circle the White House fence of passersby, and add several feet of additional barriers to the compound’s perimeter, The Washington Post reported.
Another proposal would see Secret Service and law enforcement screening anyone who wants to enter a zone that’s even a block from the White House, the newspaper said.
The man who breached security on Friday was able to sprint to the North Portico and enter the front door of the White House, which was unlocked, various media reported.
All the talk about additional security is only “notional at this point,” said one source to The Post.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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