Thursday, August 24, 2017
Speaker: Tom Baker,
Thomas Baker is an international law enforcement consultant. With over 30 years of investigative and management experience as an FBI Special Agent, he currently advises law enforcement on innovations in forensics, communications, and identification systems. Mr. Baker is best known as one of the first agents on the scene of President Reagan’s shooting, and directed the FBI’s initial response to that crisis.
His story begins by setting the stage of incredible uncertainty and chaos. March 1981 was a period of heightened tension in the Cold War between the USA and the USSR, a time more stressful than the public realized. There were serious concerns about a Soviet incursion into Poland to snuff out a growing Polish rebellion, and armed Russian submarines operating dangerously close to the US east coast. On March 31, with the Vice President in Dallas and the FBI Director at a secluded off site location with other top agents, the Commander in Chief and three others were shot leaving the Washington Hilton.
Without the knowledge that the attacker was simply an insane young man with a obsessive fixation on actress Jodie Foster, the scene was dominated by chaos, uncertainty and fear. As the first FBI agent on the scene, Mr. Baker focussed on the many lessons learned in training school about how the handling of President Kennedy's assassination resulted in a crisis management disaster and national disgrace. His leading thoughts were that history cannot repeat itself, that this crisis must be handled correctly.
Within minutes of his arrival, Mr. Baker was put in charge by the Secret Service. He quickly went to work setting up a command post and uniting all other agencies involved, including the Secret Service and DC Police. With the incredible cooperation established by his leadership, within hours the chaos turned to order, and the scene shifted from crisis management mode to major crime case mode. The lessons of history were practiced to perfection, and when the dust settled there were no criticisms about how this national tragedy was handled.
The takeaways from Mr. Baker's experience are threefold:
- Importance of knowing your counterparts/partners and community
- Importance of common training
- Value of a forward command post
Guests:
Tom Baker, speaker
Anne Baker, wife of Tom Baker
Donna Genet (Miami Dade visiting Rotarian)
Susan O’Neal (Washington DC and Scottsdale visiting Rotarian)
David Grimes (Greensborough, NC visiting Rotarian)
Bob Rose (Evergreen, CO visiting Rotarian)
Stephano Gattei (guest of Mark Purnell)
Brian Olson (guest of Norm Bacheldor)
Anna Zane (guest of Roger Nichols)
Richard Pryor (guest of Charles Cunniffe, Susan O’Neal and Norm Bacheldor)
