A government audit recommends that the U.S. Secret Service upgrade its two-way radio systems used at the White House and other locations.
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general says many of the the aging radios are well past their prime “and may not be working as effectively as needed.”
The audit was conducted because during the 2014 White House fence jumper incident, some the radios did not work properly.
The report is only mildly critical, however, concluding that recent tests found the system to work as it should about 97 percent of the time. Nonetheless, it says the Secret Service should upgrade the radios used in protecting the White House, the vice-president’s residence and foreign embassies.
The Secret Service says it agrees with the recommendations and plans to spend about $54 million in the next few years to upgrade the radio system in the Washington, D.C., area. “Given the effects of sequestration and increasingly tight budgets, we are proud of our ability to work effectively with what we have, while readily acknowledging the need for updated equipment,” said Joseph Clancy, the Secret Service director. This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
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