Fun Fact #540

 Fun Fact #540

    The Secret Service

Fair Warning before we start, In light of recent events I got curious how exactly PSD (Personal Security Details) work for Government officials (specifically The Secret Service) and as such this week is focused on that topic. I will not be diving into the details of Saturday nor taking sides on the political debate for the coming Election. This is just meant to provide some interesting details on how various groups handle security which I found to be interesting and hope you will too. With that out of the way here is today’s Fun Fact. 

Since The assaination of President WIlliam Mckinly 1902, The Secret Service has been assigned to protect the President and his family, in addition to their role of protecting sites where The US makes bank notes (a role they had had since 1865). Although they didn't receive funding at first for this role, thus The President only had 2 Secret Service Operatives until 1951 when Congress made the protection of Presidents a permanent Role for the Secret Service and increased their funding to match. 

Yet their numbers for the group were still capped and so they absorbed other groups such as The White House Police Force (Now referred to as “The Secret Service Uniformed Division”), The Treasury Guard Force, Created the Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, and Executive Protection Service. However in absorbing these groups they also expanded their responsibilities to include: Identity Theft, Counterfeit Currency, Electronic Crimes, Potential crime Assessment (finding existing blindspots in their authority to protect Currency or Protectees and requesting Congress to give them greater authority to “plug holes”), and even the Closure of roads in and around DC just to name a few.

That changed after the 9/11 attacks as Congress moved the Secret Service from the authority of The Treasury Department to the newly created The Department of Homeland Security in 2002. Finally they had a set and regular budget for which to plan around. However their budget has been subject to regular budget cuts since then –although still at an astonishing 3.2 Billion Annual Budget. Additionally many of their Agencies such as The Electronic Crimes Task force are still capped at a total of 26 members greatly limiting their effectiveness on a national Stage when multiple Protectees are appearing in public on the same day. To combat this they rely on Local Police, The Marines Executive Security Detail (for trips outside the US), or outside contractors some of which like Barbier Security Group were started by ex-Agents specifically to fulfill this need –albeit at a much greater financial cost. To lower cost most Protecees are limited to around 5-15 actual Secret Service agents with exceptions for the current President, and for nominees of (only the Democrat or Republican by law) Political parties who have officially received their Nomination.

Today –while small– The Secret Service is one of the best known and important agencies of The US government, responsible for protecting The Country's Finical Currency and Protecees like The US President.

Emblem of The Secret Service