Security Vs Aesthetics: The US White House Fence Deliberations

JH
John Honovich
May 30, 2016
IPVM

A good reminder that even maximum security facilities like the US President's home / office face debate about how much security measures will undermine aesthetics. From a NY Times article:

Fence jumping at the White House has become a regular occurrence. Two people jumped the barrier last month, including one who had stolen a woman’s purse and was hoping for a clean getaway. There was a jumper the day after Thanksgiving last year. And in 2014, officers tackled a man who had scaled the fence and run onto the North Lawn.

“We’re trying to find that balance of security, but also keep the historic nature of the White House and keep it open for the public,” Joseph P. Clancy, the director of the Secret Service, said in an interview. “The public doesn’t want to come to the White House and see a wall where you can’t actually see it.”

In recent weeks, officials at the Secret Service have presented their thinking: a fence that looks similar to the existing one, with spear-tip finials atop vertical black iron pickets that are twice as thick, closer together and nearly twice as tall as the current ones.

How much security should be sacrificed for aesthetics?

U
Undisclosed #1
May 30, 2016
IPVMU Certified

...a fence with spear-tip finials atop vertical black iron pickets that are twice as thick, closer together and nearly twice as tall as the current ones.

Maybe a bit more than is needed now, but maybe not enough come January...

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