Secret Service Testing New Spikes for White House Fence
The feature is designed to deter against future would-be fence jumpers.
— -- The Secret Service is testing out new spikes to reinforce the White House fence and deter against future would-be fence jumpers.
ABC News first learned last month that White House would be adding these so-called “no-climb” spikes as a temporary fix to the current fence, but today was the first time that we actually got to see how the spikes will be installed on the fence.
In video captured by ABC News, the Secret Service can be seen working with government contractors on a test installation of the new spike features. At one point, a Secret Service officer grabs onto the top of the fence with the new spikes installed and pulls himself up, presumably to demonstrate that he could still climb the fence if he wanted to even with the new spikes in place.
The spikes, which are pencil-like steel structures, jutted straight up from the fence when in place and fell below the point of the highest spear-like structures that are already a part of the existing fence.
The Secret Service pointed out that today’s activities were “not the actual installation of the pointed anti-climb feature, but rather involves verifying specifications prior to the manufacturing process."
When contacted by ABC News, a Secret Service spokesperson would not say whether today's testing would result in any revisions to the proposed spikes prior to their actual installation, which is set to take place at some point this summer.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Fine Arts is in the process of soliciting proposals for an entirely new permanent fence, which will go through the concept design review process this fall, according to the National Park Service.
CFA secretary Tom Luebke told ABC News in April that the commission has already ruled out a moat, electrified fence and a solid wall.
ABC News' Devin Dwyer, Robin Gradison, Gary Westphalen, and Hank Disselkamp contributed to this report.
Related Stories
ABC News Live