Prepping for a president: Trump rally presents 'a whole different level' of challenges

Aug. 5—As Cullman's longtime EMA director, Phyllis Little has worked alongside law enforcement and response personnel at the local center of logistically challenging events for decades. Storms, concerts, hazmat spills, massive sinkholes on U.S. Highways — she's seen a lot.

But she hasn't seen it all. Never in living memory has Little — or anyone else in Cullman — encountered an event that presents the scale, or the gravity, or the security and logistical challenge that comes with a presidential visit.

"Not in my tenure at the EMA office have we had anything of this magnitude," Little said Wednesday of President Donald Trump's planned Aug. 21 rally in Cullman. "After the 2011 tornadoes, we had a call indicating that there was a possibility of a presidential visit here, but that didn't happen. Beyond that, nothing else really compares."

Former and sitting presidents all retain an extensive U.S. Secret Service security detail that follows their movements, both public and private, for life. And it's the Secret Service that calls the security shots whenever a president makes a public appearance anywhere — whether it's in a populated urban area accustomed to handling all the attention, or a small town with a logistical infrastructure that's seldom called upon to test it.

In Cullman's case, that infrastructure is already in place, though it's never been summoned to accommodate anything attended by the security demands of a post-presidency Trump rally.

The rally will take place at the same York Family Farms venue where Rock the South is set to go off next weekend, leaving only a one-week turnaround time for fresh preparations at the site.

While Rock the South might serve as a very informal warm-up for all the law enforcement agencies that oversee traffic flow, it's not a precise test run for how local and state law enforcement may be enlisted to help address security, both visibly and behind the scenes. "People love their entertainers, but a visit from a president calls for a whole different level of security," said Little.

Cullman police chief Kenny Culpepper — who remembers his own law enforcement role in helping provide local security when Ronald Reagan, at the time a presidential candidate, visited area schools in the late 1970s — told The Times Wednesday that CPD already has been contacted by the Secret Service as plans for the rally ramp up. But, he said, public-facing information about traffic flow, what to bring (or leave behind), and other need-to-know items for attendees will be issued at a later time.

"Until then, the only thing I can tell you is that we've been in contact with the Secret Service and with other agencies," he said.

"Within a week, we do expect to have a more united message on what to expect," added Cullman County sheriff Matt Gentry. "We're actively developing a strategic plan for the Trump rally, working of course in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies."

Little said local law enforcement is expected to meet later this week with EMA, county commissioners, Alabama Sen. Garlan Gudger's office, and numerous other players involved in pulling off a smooth visit from the former president. She, Gentry, and Culpepper all said that the Secret Service will set the tone by coordinating all those agencies' involvement from the top down.

"Everything really hinges on what the Secret Service says," she said. "It's a unique event, and can't really be directly compared even with something big like Rock the South. It's one thing for Lynyrd Skynyrd to come to town, but it's something else entirely for a former president to visit. I anticipate that we will have visitors from at least all over the Southeast, if not beyond."

Trump is coming to Cullman via a hosting agreement negotiated by the Alabama Republican Party. The president is set to speak at 7 p.m., following entertainment and a succession of speeches throughout the afternoon from other political figures. Tickets to the Aug. 21 rally are free on a first-come, first-served basis at the following web address:

https://events.donaldjtrump.com/events/rally-in-cullman-alabama