Offering more than just Protection, the Secret Service watches out for the Nation

Today's Secret Service serves two missions, protection as well as criminal investigations. While the Secret Service is seen mostly today as the agency that protects the President, it was originally established to investigate counterfeiting of US currency. It was only after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 that the Secret Service made protecting the president, among others, its business.

Being a Secret Service Agent requires the ability to carry out both these missions, as an Agent an assignment can take someone any where in the world.

The Secret Service has grown over the years to fulfill many duties. Special Agents take part in investigative missions and protective missions; other agents form the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service. There are many career paths available.

Criminal Investigations

In 1865 the Secret Service was formed as a law enforcement agency and its mandate was to investigate the proliferation of counterfeiting US currency. Through criminal investigations the Secret Service protects the financial systems of the US.

Preventing counterfeiting of US currency plays a big role in achieving this mission. Today, the responsibilities have grown to include computer and telecommunications fraud, false identification of documents, and electronic funds transfers and money laundering to name a few. To stay on top of these crimes, the Secret Service takes a proactive approach to its investigations using advanced technologies. Many of the techniques and technology used are exclusive to them.

The 1994 Crime Bill brought the forensic and technical expertise of the Secret Service into matters involving missing and exploited children. The PROTECT Act of 2003 gave the Secret Service full authorization in this field.

Who the Secret Service Protects

The Secret Service protects the President, the Vice President, and the President-elect and Vice President-elect and the immediate families of the above individuals and other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President if the case should arise. Heads of foreign states or governments and their spouses traveling with them and other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States are protected as are official representatives of the United States on special assignments overseas are also protected. An Executive Order of the President can grant protection of the Secret Service to other individuals. They also protect National Special Security events, if designated by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

What does the Uniformed Division do?

The Uniformed Division was established to be the White House Police Force. There are currently more than 1,300 officers in the Uniformed Division. As part of the Uniformed Division, officers are responsible for security at the White House Complex including the Department of the Treasury, the vice president's residence and foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington, DC area.

The Uniformed Division also provides additional support to the Secret Service's protective mission through a number of units. These include the Countersniper Support Unit (CS), the Canine Explosives Detection Unit (K-9), the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and the Magnetometers Support Unit, a specialized unit in preventing armed persons in Secret Service protected areas.

In the Secret Service it takes more than just physical protection to safeguard a protectee. In order to prevent an incident before it happens, an agent must do advance work and perform threat assessments on any planned area of travel. The Intelligence Division has spent many years identifying these potential dangers.

To become an agent one must have a bachelor's degree. A Degree in Intelligence Management, Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies, or Management of Personal Protection would not only give one the knowledge used in the Secret Service but anywhere in the strategic security industry.