Around New England

Comedian Recalls Police Details Outside Bush Compound

December 5, 2018

As a young York County deputy sheriff during the early 1990s Juston McKinney worked police details at the outer edge of the Bush Compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, supplementing security provided by the Secret Service for then-President George H.W. Bush.

“He was very genuine and sincere, looked you right in the eye,” McKinney, now a comedian living in Newmarket, New Hampshire, told the Portsmouth Herald.

A funeral service for Bush, who died Friday, November 30, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 5 at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C..

McKinney describes his job as providing the first line of defense in case of an attack on the compound.

“It was the end of the Gulf War, so the thought of an attack on our president was very real,” McKinney said, according to the Portsmouth Herald. “But to be honest, he was a brave war hero who fought in WWII, he was a tough guy, so if there was a problem, I was hoping he would save me.”

Juston McKinney, left, didn’t even know a Secret Service agent was taking this picture on May 25, 1992 until after it happened. Then-President George H.W. Bush was personally thanking law enforcement officers who were providing him security.