SECRET SERVICE
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 12:35 pm
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security.[2] The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States Department of the Treasury.[3]The U.S. Secret Service has two distinct areas of responsibility:Treasury roles, covering missions such as prevention and investigation of counterfeiting of U.S. currency and U.S treasury securities, and investigation of major fraud.[4]Protective roles, ensuring the safety of current and former national leaders and their families, such as the President, past Presidents, Vice Presidents, presidential candidates, foreign embassies (per an agreement with the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) Office of Foreign Missions (OFM)), etc.[5]The Secret Service's initial responsibility was to investigate crimes related to the Treasury and then evolved into the United States' first domestic intelligence and counterintelligence agency. Many of the agency's missions were later taken over by subsequent agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Internal Revenue Service.Today the agency's primary investigative mission is to safeguard the payment and financial systems of the United States. These include crimes that involve financial institution fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, false identification documents, access device fraud, advance fee fraud, electronic funds transfers and money laundering as it relates to the agency's core violations. After the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley, Congress also directed the Secret Service to protect the President of the United States. Protection remains the other key mission of the United States Secret Service.Today, the Secret Service is authorized by law to protect:[6]The President, the Vice President (or other officer next in the order of succession to the Office of President, should the vice presidency be vacant), the President-elect, and the Vice President-electThe immediate families of the above individualsFormer Presidents and their spouses for their lifetimes except when the spouse divorces or remarries. In 1997, legislation became effective limiting Secret Service protection to former Presidents and their spouses for a period of not more than 10 years from the date the former President leaves office making Bill and Hillary Clinton the last to receive lifetime protectionThe widow or widower of a former President who dies in office or dies within a year of leaving office for a period of 1 year after the President's death (the Secretary of Homeland Security can extend the protection time)Children of former Presidents until age 16 or 10 years after the presidency.Former Vice Presidents, their spouses, and their children under age 16 for a period of not more than 6 months from the date the former Vice President leaves office (the Secretary of Homeland Security can extend the protection time)Visiting heads of states or governments and their spouses traveling with them, other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States, and official representatives of the United States performing special missions abroad whom the president deems important enough for protection outside the Diplomatic Security ServiceMajor presidential and vice presidential candidatesThe spouses of major presidential and vice presidential candidates (within 120 days of a general presidential election)Other individuals as designated per executive order of the PresidentNational Special Security Events, when designated as such by the Secretary of Homeland SecurityAny of these individuals can decline Secret Service protection, with the exception of the President, the Vice President (or other officer next in the order of succession to the Office of President), the President-elect, and the Vice President-elect.[6]When Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State in 2009, the Secret Service continued to protect her at home, however the Diplomatic Security Service protects her while she is performing her duties as the Secretary of State, to include any foreign travel.The Secret Service investigates thousands of incidents a year of individuals threatening the President of the United States.[edit]Uniformed DivisionPresident Barack Obama addresses United States Secret Service Uniformed Division officers before a group photo at the South Portico of the White House, April 4, 2011.The United States Secret Service Uniformed Division (UD) assists in protection duties. Established in 1922 as the White House Police Force, this organization was fully integrated into the Secret Service in 1930. With more than 1,300 officers as of 2010, the Uniformed Division is responsible for security at the White House Complex; the vice president's residence; the Department of the Treasury (as part of the White House Complex); and foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington, D.C., area. Uniformed Division officers carry out their protective responsibilities through a network of fixed security posts, foot, bicycle, vehicular and motorcycle patrols.Officers are responsible for providing additional support to the Secret Service's protective mission through the following special support groups:The Countersniper Support Unit (CS): Created in 1971, the CS unit's purpose is to provide specialized protective support to defend against long-range threats to Secret Service protectees. Today CS is an operational element of the Presidential Protective Division.[7]The Canine Explosives Detection Unit (K-9): Created in 1976, the mission of the K-9 unit is to provide skilled and specialized explosives detection support to protective efforts involving Secret Service protectees.[7]The Emergency Response Team (ERT): Formed in 1992, ERT's primary mission is to provide tactical response to unlawful intrusions and other protective challenges related to the White House and its grounds. ERT personnel receive specialized, advanced training and must maintain a high level of physical and operational proficiency.[7]The Magnetometer Support Unit: Formed to ensure that all persons entering secure areas occupied by Secret Service protectees are unarmed,[7] the Secret Service began relying on magnetometer (metal detector) support by Uniformed Division officers to augment its protective efforts away from the White House following the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.