Security Breach Embarrassment Prompts More White House Security

The Secret Service is boosting security outside the White House following an embarrassing security breach in which an intruder with a knife scaled the White House fence

The Secret Service is boosting security outside the White House following an embarrassing security breach in which an intruder with a knife scaled the White House fence, dashed across the lawn and made it all the way inside before agents managed to stop him. white house security

Increased surveillance and more officer patrols are among the measures that Secret Service Director Julia Pierson has ordered as the elite agency strives to ensure such an incident can't happen again. Pierson has also launched a full investigation into what went wrong.

Word that a fence-jumper managed to get inside the White House drew reactions of alarm and disbelief about how one of the most heavily secured buildings in the world had been compromised. With questions mounting, President Barack Obama sought to allay concerns about whether the Secret Service is still up to the task of protecting him and his family.

"The President has full confidence in the Secret Service and is grateful to the men and women who day in and day out protect himself, his family and the White House," said White House spokesman Frank Benenati late Saturday.

Benenati noted that the Secret Service is investigating the incident, and "we are certain it will be done with the same professionalism and commitment to duty that we and the American people expect from the US Secret Service."

On Friday, Omar Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, managed to jump the fence on Pennsylvania Avenue and sprint some 70 yards to the White House itself before being subdued. He has been charged with unlawful entry into restricted grounds while carrying a deadly weapon.

Secret Service members did not open fire on the intruder, nor did they release guard dogs.

In a statement announcing the investigation, the Secret Service said that while "the officers showed tremendous restraint and discipline in dealing with this subject, the location of Gonzalez's arrest is not acceptable."