ATLANTA — As funeral plans for former President Jimmy Carter begin on Saturday, the Carter Center is making sure they have appropriate security measures in place.
On Friday, Channel 2′s Michael Seiden spoke with Ray Moore, who retired as the head of the Atlanta Secret Service office.
“No matter if a president is alive or deceased, we still protect them the same way,” said Moore, who protected eight presidents throughout his career. “A lot of times, people sort of discount funerals, but funerals generate a lot of attention and good guys and bad guys like those major exposure events.”
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Moore says it’s imperative for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to communicate with each other to make sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to public safety.
“We implement the three rings of protection-inner, outer and middle perimeter,” he added.
In addition to the extra manpower on the ground, Moore says there will also be eyes in the sky.
“You’re going to see drones and possibly helicopters flying,” said Moore, who is the owner of Moore and Associates- Security Consultants L.L.C. in Conyers.
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Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Atlanta Secret Service office regarding the security plan for this weekend’s events.
“It was an honor and a privilege to serve former President Jimmy Carter, and the U.S. Secret Service joins the nation in mourning his passing. We are working closely with the Department of Defense and our law enforcement partners to ensure a safe and secure state funeral here in the State of Georgia,” said Frederick D. Houston, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service Atlanta Field Office.
Moore says he first met former President Carter in 1984.
“President Carter liked to jog, and I was a Secret Service runner,” he added. “President Carter would go out and run four or five miles and so I would go out and run with him. When I first started running with him, I would think, ‘Hey, here’s this older gentleman. I’m going to wear him out.’ I was wrong. He wore me out. He kept going when I wanted to stop. But that was just his whole mentality. He was a hard worker, and he wasn’t going to let anybody beat him that he thought he could beat.”
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