Two weeks after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, the organization’s security team faced criticism over their limited jurisdiction during the campus event. A spokesman for Turning Point USA, Andrew Kolvet, explained that the team was only authorized to protect Kirk’s immediate vicinity during the speaking engagement at Utah Valley University. The incident, in which 22-year-old Tyler Robinson shot Kirk from the rooftop of the Losee Center, has raised questions about the effectiveness of security measures. Kolvet emphasized that the team could not monitor the surrounding areas or rooftops, relying instead on local and campus police for broader security. The lack of drone technology, which could have provided real-time monitoring, has also been highlighted as a potential gap in campus security protocols. Despite Kirk’s awareness of risks associated with similar events, such as the one at the University of Missouri, he reportedly assured his team that security was in place.
During an episode of ‘The Charlie Kirk Show’ on Wednesday afternoon, Kolvet defended the security team, explaining the legal limitations of their jurisdiction. ‘In defense of our security team, people need to understand that they do not have jurisdiction on the rooftops or the surrounding area,’ Kolvet said. ‘Their only jurisdiction on a campus is Charlie’s physical proximity, and they were coordinating with local PD and campus PD to make sure all of those venues [were secure].’
Blake Neff, producer of ‘The Charlie Kirk Show,’ added that Turning Point USA did not have counter-snipers or Secret Service to monitor the area outside of Kirk’s immediate vicinity. ‘Many campus PDs do not have drone programs, which is a big problem,’ Kolvet said. ‘I’m actually working on that because it’s something they should all have. It should be mandated by some sort of law.’ The potential for drones to be used in such scenarios is gaining attention, as they are cheaper and quicker to deploy than helicopters, and can transmit live video to command centers in real time.
However, law enforcement still must follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and may need special waivers to fly over large groups of people, or at specific locations. While Kirk supposedly did not raise any specific security concerns about the Sept. 10 speaking engagement at Utah Valley University, guest speaker Dr. James Orr mentioned in the episode that Kirk acknowledged the ‘risk’ of an upcoming trip to the University of Missouri on Sept. 29. ‘We were putting plans in place for me to go with him to the University of Missouri,’ Orr said. ‘[Kirk] said, ‘You know, that’s going to be the tough one. That’s where it’s riskiest. That’s the one that’s going to be the most dangerous.’ I said, ‘Well, I hope you got a lot of good security.’ He said, ‘Yeah, it’s all sorted. Don’t worry about it.’