MENU
SEARCH"I think there's some misconception about overall response. I can only speak for our officers transitioning from what was supposed to be a primary traffic control assistance to where it became … a suspicious person," the township manager said.
Butler, Pennsylvania’s Township manager, Thomas Knights, is defending local police officers' response to the assassination attempt against former President Trump at his rally on Saturday.
"I think there's some misconception about overall response. I can only speak for our officers transitioning from what was supposed to be a primary traffic control assistance to where it became … a suspicious person," the township manager told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday.
"I think our law enforcement did exactly what training taught them to do. … How subsequent events played out, that's another thing for what I hope to be a really complete report on the incident to educate everybody."
"Once the suspicious individual report came out, and our police arrived in the immediate area of the building, they did do a perimeter search — were unable to see the person on top of the building from the vantage point," Knights explained. "So one of our other police officers … literally boosted one of our [other officers] up high enough in the air to grab hold of the edge of the roof."
The officer was able to pull himself up so that his "head was above the roof" because there was no other way to access the roof at that moment. The approximate distance from the ground to the edge of the roof where the officer got hold is 12 feet, Knights said.
The officer "did observe an individual on the roof," who "was identified as having a weapon" and "did point that firearm at our officer," Knights said.
The officer took a defensive position from where he was hanging on the edge of the roof, ducked his head, and lost his grip, at which point he fell "approximately eight feet" to the ground and sprained his ankle, the township manager explained.
"Both the lifting officer and the prone officer both called in [and] identified the individual on the roof as being armed."
Knights said he believes local officers' ability to identify the shooter did "minimize as best as possible the overall situation."
"The harshness of criticism from both sides of the spectrum has been pretty brutal and relentless," he said. "It's been going on for roughly two days now. Again, I think when the entirety of the investigation is done and we have the full, complete story of how this whole event unfolded, hopefully those that are … quick to send a hate email can send back an apology just as quickly."
The Colorado State Patrol, after analyzing its 2025 struck-by incidents, identified one area for improvement: using traffic cones to provide advanced warning before the cruiser's location. Here is the agency’s final data.
Read More →
Streamlight has recognized the 144th Marketing Group as its 2025 Sales Rep Agency of the Year Award for the Law Enforcement market.
Read More →Streamlight has recognized the 144th Marketing Group as its 2025 Sales Rep Agency of the Year Award for the Law Enforcement market.
Read More →
The mission of the Jorge Pastore Foundation is to support first responders through essential training, stronger community engagement, and mental wellness resources, all accessible and funded through donations, sponsorships, and foundation-led fundraising. It works closely with Team Wendy in the discussions about developing better protective gear for officers.
Read More →
Patrol work hasn’t changed—but the expectations on officers have. See how one police chief helped officers get the right information at the right time, improve patrol visibility, and strengthen trust without adding complexity or surveillance. This real-world story shows how patrol-driven technology can make the job safer, smarter, and more effective—starting on day one.
Read More →
What if Level I retention didn’t require a full duty rig? Safariland’s Solis delivers trusted ALS security in a streamlined OWB platform built for administrative and plainclothes professionals who need protection without the bulk.
Read More →
Real-world scenarios show that a tracking canine can detect and follow a human track several hours after it was made.
Read More →
In this video, we get a look at the latest law enforcement boots from Garmont Tactical, both for men and women. Kyle Ferdyn, sales manager, showcases four of the latest boots.
Read More →
With the commercial availability of Avon Protection’s EXOSKIN-S2, users now have increased options for their protective suit requirements across the spectrum of CBRN threat environments.
Read More →
Versaterm has acquired Aloft, an FAA-approved Unmanned Service Supplier (USS) that specializes in real-time airspace intelligence and flight authorizations.
Read More →