Careers In The United States Secret Service

THE UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the nation and is recognized as one of the most elite in the world. It is a self-contained organization, not part of the FBI or CIA. At the mention of the Secret Service, most people conjure up images of big men in dark suits and sunglasses, surrounding the leader of the free world wherever he goes. Indeed, the agency has a long history of protecting not only presidents, but vice presidents, their families, foreign dignitaries, and even presidential hopefuls. However, this is only part of the Secret Service story. The agency was initially created as a division of the Treasury Department. In the wake of the Civil War, there was a large quantity of phony money in circulation. In fact, it is estimated that more than one-third of American currency was counterfeit at the time. President Abraham Lincoln established the Secret Service to combat the problem and to ensure the integrity of the nation's financial infrastructure. Ironically, Lincoln signed the legislation creating the agency on April 14, 1865 - the very day John Wilkes Booth assassinated him. Yet, it would be another 36 years before the Secret Service assumed the responsibility of protecting American presidents. Since its inception, the agency has been investigating and guarding against financial crimes, such as counterfeiting, identity theft, computer fraud, money laundering, and all types of financial fraud. It also took on anyone "perpetrating mass frauds against the government," which included the likes of the Ku Klux Klan, among others. In 2003, the Secret Service was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. Today, it fights crime on a global scale, investigating a growing list of technology-based crimes, such as cyber-attacks against the nation's financial and telecommunications infrastructure, and technological attacks that hack into government systems. There are training programs for Secret Service special agents, totaling 27 weeks. The agency provides one-of-a-kind training, designed to prepare agents for the high level of responsibility they will take on. Making it this far does not guarantee entry to the Secret Service. Failure to pass any test along the way is cause for immediate disqualification. New special agents who do successfully get through training are assigned to posts in one of the agency's domestic field offices. It takes several years of experience in a field office before an agent is qualified to transfer to protective duty. Officers in the Uniformed Division also go through months of rigorous training. Unlike special agents, who can be assigned to offices anywhere in the US or overseas, officers in the Uniformed Division are typically assigned to protect government buildings and embassies in and around Washington, DC. A career with the Secret Service is more than a job. Each day is challenging and demanding, yet exciting and rewarding all at the same time. It takes hard work and dedication to prepare for this career, but those who have made it insist the effort is well worth it. The rewards start with great pay, great benefits, opportunities for travel, and fascinating work. First and foremost, it is an honor and a privilege to ensure the safety of the nation.

The Secret Service was established after the Civil War by the Treasury Department, originally to protect American currency against counterfeiters. After the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901, Congress directed the Secret Service to protect the President of the United States. Protection remains the primary mission of the United States Secret Service. It takes a special type of individual to be a U.S. Secret Service agent, one willing to "take a bullet" to preserve the ideals on which the United States was founded. To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent lifts the curtain for a look inside this secretive law enforcement agency, including the highly selective recruiting, the intense training, and the specialized weapons and equipment used to protect current and past Presidents, Vice Presidents, their families, and visiting heads of state.

While the Secret Service is thought of synonymously with the President of the U.S., only one agent has ever died in the line of duty protecting a President. Private Leslie Coffelt was killed during his duty of protection of President Harry Truman. Readers will learn that there is a rich, varied history of the Secret Service, and that there are several different positions within the service. They will learn about the education, training, and equipment that candidates would need for different roles. Fascinating personal stories are shared as well, giving readers an up-close look at life in the service.

Provides an introduction to the U.S. Secret Service, an agency charged with protecting the president of the United States and other government officials, and the Federal Protective Service, whose agents guard federal properties and investigate criminal activity, and describes different jobs within these organizations.

While the Secret Service is thought of synonymously with the President of the U.S., only one agent has ever died in the line of duty protecting a President. Private Leslie Coffelt was killed during his duty of protection of President Harry Truman. Readers will learn that there is a rich, varied history of the Secret Service, and that there are several different positions within the service. They will learn about the education, training, and equipment that candidates would need for different roles. Fascinating personal stories are shared as well, giving readers an up-close look at life in the service.

How secretive do Secret Service agents have to be? Do they protect other people besides the president? What kind of training do you need to become a Secret Service agent? These are important questions to ask if someone is interested in a career with the Secret Service, and the answers are waiting to be discovered in this fun and fact-filled reading experience. As readers explore exiting main text, sidebars, fact boxes, and graphic organizers, they learn about how a person becomes a Secret Service agent and what their day-to-day life is like in this dangerous line of work.