At first glance, the U.S. Secret Service’s new Public Order Tactical Response Vehicle may resemble a firetruck, but it serves a uniquely different purpose.
This vehicle is equipped with everything Secret Service Uniformed Division personnel need to respond to a civil disturbance. This includes communication tools, crowd control equipment, medical kits, fire extinguishers and other tools to help maintain order if 1st Amendment activity escalates to the point of civil unrest.
“We would rather stand by and monitor potentially volatile situations. But if things start going sideways, we are prepared to respond,” said Sergeant-Technician Scott Curry of the Secret Service’s Public Order Program.
The vehicle was delivered in July, ahead of the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., it has since been deployed to all major Secret Service events in the National Capital Region (NCR).
“Everything has been fairly peaceful,” Curry said about recent demonstration activity in the NCR. “We haven’t had any serious, violent unrest near Secret Service protected sites. That’s just the way we like it.”
The need for such a specialized vehicle was first demonstrated in the summer of 2020 following widespread civil unrest in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country.
The Public Order Program’s priority is to mitigate conflicts and redirect energy to avoid a clash whenever possible. This is the crux of the de-escalation training that is now standard for all new Uniformed Division recruits.
“It’s about working with the groups, too,” Curry said. “Often, people just want to be heard.”
Common de-escalation techniques include collaborating with event organizers. Curry said the goal is to find ways to maintain public order while also giving groups space to express their views and practice their First Amendment rights.
The Civil Disturbance Unit has roots in the early 2000s. However, Curry said training began in earnest following the events in the summer of 2020 and early 2021. The focus of this training is preventing bad days and keeping the truck designed for bad days in the garage.
“Hopefully, your bad day never comes. But you have to be ready for it,” Curry said. “You have to prepare. You have to train.”