The Secret Service is considering setting up additional checkpoints near the White House after an Iraq war veteran was able to jump the fence and enter the building through an unlocked door.

One plan being considered, according to the New York Times and Washington Post, would see visitors screened one or more blocks away from the public areas in front of the White House. Another would “keep people off the sidewalks around the White House fence and create several yards of additional barrier around the compound’s perimeter.”

An official told the Post all possible plans are “notional” at this point.

The Secret Service identified the man who jumped the fence as 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez of Copperas Cove, Texas. According to a release, Gonzalez “failed to comply with responding Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers’ verbal commands, and was physically apprehended after entering the White House North Portico doors. The first family was not in the residence at the time of the incident and was en route to Camp David, Md.”

Every day the Secret Service is challenged to ensure security at the White House complex while still allowing public accessibility to a national historical site. The challenge of securing the White House complex from security threats is ever present. Although last night the officers showed tremendous restraint and discipline in dealing with this subject, the location of Gonzalez’s arrest is not acceptable.

The Post reports that Gonzalez told a Secret Service officer the “atmosphere was collapsing” and he needed to tell the president. The Secret Service is conducting an action review of the incident.

The portion of Pennsylvania Avenue NW in front of the White House was shut down to vehicle traffic in 1995. In addition to being a place where tourists and protestors gather, the plaza is used by pedestrians and cyclists traveling through downtown.

This is just one reason the plan is already being questioned.

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