Following an intense 2024 presidential campaign season that included more than 100 protective visits, leaders of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office returned to the battleground state of Wisconsin in March to debrief with local public safety partners.
They offered a resounding “thank you.”
Unlike the high-paced tempo of the campaign, this trip through Wisconsin offered a chance to gain feedback, perspective, and an opportunity to strengthen the agency’s relationships. Each partner agency received a framed poster commemorating the 2024 campaign.
“We asked a lot of our local partners during the campaign season, and they always stepped up,” Special Agent in Charge Dai Tran, of the Secret Service’s Chicago Field Office, said. “As an agency, we’re always looking for ways to fine-tune our operations. This trip gave us a chance to decompress and get valuable feedback directly from our partners.”
The Chicago Field Office is responsible for Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwest Indiana, and parts of Iowa. The 2024 presidential campaign brought two presidential nominating conventions to the region and a flurry of protective visits, primarily in Wisconsin.
The busy field office handled 215 protective visits throughout the district during 2024, including 115 Wisconsin events. The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago were the largest undertakings and were designated National Special Security Events, requiring multiple government agencies to work together seamlessly.
The four-day thank-you tour included stops in Madison, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Mosinee, Green Bay, and Milwaukee. Participants included leaders from the Wisconsin State Patrol, nearby police departments, sheriff’s offices, and airport personnel.
Deputy Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer, of the Chicago Field Office, said the meetings produced valuable feedback for making future visits even more secure and seamless.
“Wisconsin is a great state, and our partners are just as great,” DSAIC Mayer, who led the discussions said. “It’s always important to have an honest discussion on what they thought worked and what, if anything, could be improved in the future.”
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joel Heffernan, of the Chicago Field Office, said the Wisconsin tour gave leadership an opportunity to engage with partners about the effects of the year-long campaign.
It also provided an opportunity to hear feedback on ways to improve communication between the Secret Service and local partners, ASAIC Heffernan, who organized the trip, said.
“Probably most important is that we actually were there as a ‘thank you,’ and not asking for something for the first time in a very long time,” ASAIC Heffernan said.
The trip also was an opportunity to introduce partners to newly appointed Resident Agent in Charge Angela Suzuki. A Wisconsin native, Suzuki recently took over the Milwaukee Resident Office after serving as the Deputy Special Agent in Charge in Rome, Italy.
RAIC Suzuki said the meetings were a good opportunity for her to reconnect with local law enforcement partners and to make a social connection that will help future visits.
“It was a tremendous opportunity on a few fronts. Number one to thank all of our partners for all of the hard work for both the RNC and the 2024 campaign,” RAIC Suzuki said. “Number two, give them a voice to speak about what we did well, what we didn't do well, so that we can learn from it. It was a very good debrief. All of our partners were very appreciative.”
Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis appreciated the visit and meeting RAIC Suzuki.
“It’s nice to match names with faces. A lot of times, we talk over the phone or online,” Chief Davis said. “We work together so much on these things, it never hurts to get together and build that relationship.”
The trip also provided valuable feedback from partners in a non-planning environment as well as offered them context from the agency’s perspective, ASAIC Heffernan said.
Mosinee Police Chief Kenneth R. Grams, whose department consists of eight sworn personnel, noted that his agency was tasked with providing security details for four Presidential campaign stops involving the Central Wisconsin Airport. His department developed a strong partnership with Secret Service personnel and area law enforcement agencies to accomplish the mission, Chief Grams said.
He thought the after-action debriefing with the Secret Service would enhance security for future presidential visits.
“The in-person working relationship was the only way this security detail could succeed without errors being committed,” Chief Grams said. “The positive communication and relationships which were developed resulted in an effective and seamless transition from one security event to the other.”
Assistant Special Agent in Charge James Morley, of the Chicago Field Office, said the Secret Service is always looking to improve.
“It was good to get some honest feedback, things that we could improve on, ways we could adjust our security plans, to be more secure and to have more safe and successful visits,” ASAIC Morley said.
Chief Davis, in Green Bay, said he thought it was “really helpful” to debrief on the last election season.
“We didn’t have a lot of problems or issues to talk about, but it was really helpful to get together and discuss what worked and didn’t work so we can do it better next time,” Chief Davis said. “It’s always been a good relationship.”
Overall, the trip went “really well,” RAIC Suzuki said.
“And even better, we had some laughs about some of the past visits, and we talked a little bit about how we’re going to move forward together,” RAIC Suzuki said. “I felt it was really a positive trip.”
THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS PARTICIPATED IN THE CHICAGO FIELD OFFICE’S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN DEBRIEF IN WISCONSIN:
- Ashwaubenon Department of Public Safety
- Brown County Sheriff’s Office
- Central Wisconsin Airport
- Dane County Sheriff’s Office
- Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office
- Eau Claire Fire Department
- Eau Claire Police Department
- Green Bay Metro Fire Department
- Green Bay Police Department
- Kronenwetter Fire Department
- Kronenwetter Police Department
- LaCrosse County Dispatch
- LaCrosse County Sheriff’s Office
- LaCrosse Fire Department
- LaCrosse Police Department
- Madison Fire Department
- Madison Police Department
- Marathon County Sheriff’s Office
- Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
- Milwaukee Fire Department
- Milwaukee Police Department
- Mosinee Police Department
- Portage County Sheriff’s Office
- Racine Police Department
- Stevens Point Fire & EMS
- Stevens Point Police Department
- Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office
- Wausau Police Department
- Wisconsin National Guard’s Civil Support Team.
- Wisconsin State Patrol
