Nancy Pelosi’s former neighbor questions why home invasion triggered no warning

Nancy Pelosi’s former neighbor wonders why a violent home invasion didn’t set off an alarm. Security experts condemn the apparent ease with which David DePape broke in and predict federal protections will be extended to her family.

Residents of Tony Broadway Street in San Francisco are used to fleets of black SUVs surrounding the Speaker’s red-brick mansion 24/7, a heavy police response to any disturbances, and even their computers scrambled by alleged security measures to keep the nation’s number three. to protect.

So when Marjorie Campbell read that her old neighbor had to call 911 herself while she was negotiating with a hammer-wielding lunatic, she was stunned.

“There were black cars outside that house all the time, especially on Normandie Terrace,” the 66-year-old, who lived across from the Pelosis for ten years, told DailyMail.com.

‘I don’t distinguish between being there and not. There were always several cars.’

Police statements and the charges against David DePape, 42, released Monday, suggest he broke in by smashing a back patio door. He confronted Paul Pelosi Sr., who called the police and tried to suppress the deranged man. When officers barged in, DePape hit Pelosi Sr. with a hammer.

“Everyone in the neighborhood had alarms on our windows,” the former neighbor said. “So if glass broke, an alarm would go off. We all had an alarm that went off when the door opened or closed.’

The mysterious attack early Friday morning has left residents with a long list of questions – some of which are slowly being answered by the police, and others that are still scratching the surface of even the best private security experts.

Gavin DeBecker led Jeff Bezos’ security and is widely regarded as one of the national authorities in protecting public figures.

He was surprised that there appeared to be “no security” in the house—though he pointed out that federal protections currently only extend to Nancy herself, and she was out of town at the time.

“There is absolutely no security assigned to the Pelosi house. Security is provided by the US Capitol Police for the Speaker of the House in person, with her when she travels or appears in public, but no security is provided for spouses or family of members of Congress. So there was no security to get around.

“I don’t know if there was a security system on, but it doesn’t look like it.”

DeBecker said taxpayer-paid protection for the Pelosis could be strengthened as a result of the attack, adding that the multimillionaires could also afford their own private data.

“I think it’s likely that Paul Pelosi will get official protection for some time,” he told DailyMail.com. “They also have the option to hire security themselves, by which I mean they have the financial means.”

Former CIA agent and private security chief to billionaires Tony Schiena told DailyMail.com that the break-in was a “clear security flaw for the family of a prominent politician to be so vulnerable and exposed.”

He denounced “unacceptable security planning,” including “poor physical security of buildings and procedures in the event of a threat or attack” and a “lack of security technology, such as cameras and infrared motion detectors.”

“There was a warning recently from the NYPD that politicians were likely to be targeted, and yet nothing was done to secure her home even though she wasn’t there,” he said.

“There is a general lack of adaptation to the new norm: right-wing terrorism in the US. I have a feeling that we are going to experience the rise of more vigilance. Reactive management includes greater protection for congressional leaders and their families.

“The key is to assess the situation and also protect the family members.”

Campbell, who now lives in Utah, recalls that private security and the police responded almost immediately to something unwelcome two blocks from Broadway Street near Pelosi’s home.

My daughter came home from a Christmas dance for a year. It had come through the whole event that she was having a party. So we let cars descend on that block. We had cars just coming from both directions and parked and lined up at the back gate.

“Within 10 minutes, police were everywhere,” she said.

Campbell said when protesters from the women’s anti-war group Code Pink camped outside the Speaker’s home, “the whole situation was watched like a hawk.”

“It wasn’t long before the curb running across Broadway just in front of her house was painted red. The protesters were not allowed to protest where the curb was red. So you know they [Pelosi’s security] were all about that,’ she said.

The former neighbor said residents’ electrical equipment would sometimes malfunction due to alleged malfunctions to prevent the speaker from being spied on.

“We had a computer in our kitchen that just didn’t work very well on the internet. And I was told that because of the level of surveillance equipment in that residence,” she said.

“There was surveillance equipment to make sure residents couldn’t be spied on remotely from anywhere in the vicinity, which had something to do with our computer.”

Campbell recalled eating with her family at their local restaurant, Jackson Fillmore, one night when the place was taken over by bodyguards.

“This whole security detail came in because the Pelosis wanted to eat there. There were three or four black cars outside, a huge detail.

“When she was there, there was definitely a huge presence. And my impression was that the house was under constant surveillance.’