Brian Harpole, who heads security for Charlie Kirk, stated that the police department at Utah Valley University failed to ensure the safety of the campus rooftop, despite assurances that they would. He mentioned, “We called him, and he never called back,” referring to a police chief.
During a recent episode of the Sean Ryan Show, Harpole expressed concerns about the safety of the rooftop and drone regulations in the days leading up to the tragic assassination of Kirk on September 10 at the university.
“We had concerns about the rooftop, so we were hesitant to go to that location. We know our responsibilities, we know our legal limitations, and we can’t place an officer in a position where they’re just a spectator,” he explained.
On September 8, just two days before the incident, Harpole reached out to the police chief at UVU to raise alarms about the rooftop accessibility for students.
Harpole shared a screenshot of a purported text conversation with “Secretary Long,” which included the following exchange:
Harpole: Hello Director Long – I received this message from some students today. “Rooftop access for students is quite close to where CK will be located in Utah Valley…”
Harpole: I was informed students might have access above us. If that’s true, we should control entry or have one of my people stationed there, if possible.
Long: I’ve got it covered.
“What can we do when someone high up in the police department says, ‘I’m in charge here?'” Harpole remarked. “We’ve tried reaching out, but we’ve never had a response.”
“I don’t understand why this hasn’t been made public and why he won’t own up to it,” he added. “He’s seen many others lose their careers over issues like this, and he just brushes it off.”
Though Harpole couldn’t recall Long’s first name while speaking, reports indicate he was referring to Jeff Long, the police chief at UVU.
Harpole also raised issues regarding drone regulations, commenting, “I invested a lot in a drone and obtained a license, but if the area falls under Provo, Utah airspace, I’m restricted from flying it. I can’t break those rules.”
Additionally, he mentioned that the Orem Police Department could have deployed a drone and had a SWAT team available, yet he didn’t receive support from the UVU Police Department, despite a mutual aid agreement.
“UVU [Police Department] has jurisdiction there. Orem [Police Department] is from the outside. They weren’t there because they weren’t called upon,” Harpole pointed out.
“We can’t simply request Orem PD to send us assistance. That authority isn’t mine,” he noted.
“Yet, the school PD has a mutual aid agreement. If I had requested assistance, perhaps I could have had ten people monitoring the area,” Harpole lamented.
He indicated that on September 10, UVU had increased its staffing to 12 personnel. “Typically, I would manage a team of 8 to 9,” he shared. “We raised it based on nothing specific. It felt like we were in a position we didn’t want to be in. We anticipated a large crowd.”
Watch the full interview below.
