Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Liaison With Local Law Enforcement Agencies

The Commission notes that Secret Service guidance to local police for Presidential visit protection has historically been delivered informally, and recommends the Service develop formal, standardized instructions for all levels of local authorities, including master protective plans for specific city visits and instruction booklets for patrol officers outlining expected cooperation. While the Service has raised concerns that written instructions could leak to local newspapers and compromise protective precautions, the Commission argues instructions will be shared with local police regardless of format, and lack of clear, prepared guidance creates risk of protective lapses, such as the confusion over public access to overpasses during the 1963 Dallas motorcade. The Commission notes such standardized instructions should be adapted as needed and not override professional judgment in unique circumstances.

Inspection of Buildings

Since President Kennedy’s assassination, the Secret Service has tested new techniques for inspecting buildings along Presidential motorcade routes, including identifying structures that pose elevated risk. The Commission strongly encourages these efforts to improve motorcade route protection, and recommends the Service continue to leverage personnel from other federal law enforcement agencies stationed in relevant localities to ensure adequate manpower for building inspections, noting that resource constraints are not an acceptable justification for failing to implement improved advance protective precautions in this critical area.