The Secret Service

The Secret Service was created in 1865 as a federal law enforcement agency within the Treasury Department. It derives its legal authority from Title 18, United States Code, Section 3056. It was established for the express purpose of stopping counterfeiting operations which had sprung up in this country following the introduction of paper currency during the Civil War (Treasury, 2002, Online). The Secret Service maintains its role as guardian of the integrity of our currency, but today also investigates crimes involving United States securities, coinage, other government issues, credit and debit card fraud, and electronic funds transfer fraud. The most obvious of its other activities is executive protection, which began after the assassination of President McKinley in 1901(Treasury, 2002, Online).

In the 1800s, America's monetary system was very disorganized. Bills and coins were issued by each state through individual banks, which generated many types of legal currency. With so many different kinds of bills in circulation, it was easy for people to counterfeit money. The Secret Service officially went to work on July 5, 1865. Its first chief was William Wood. Chief Wood, widely known for his heroism during the Civil War, was very successful in his first year, closing more than 200 counterfeiting plants. This success helped prove the value of the Secret Service, and in 1866 the National Headquarters was established in the Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D.C (Treasury, 2002, Online).

During the evening of the same day President Lincoln established the Secret Service, he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth. The country mourned as news spread that the President had been shot (White House, online). It was the first time in our nation's history that a President had been assassinated and it was the reason that the Congress eventually, after two more presidential assassinations, added Presidential protection to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service.

Since 1901, every President from Theodore Roosevelt on has been protected by the Secret Service. In 1917, threats against the President became a felony and Secret Service protection was broadened to include all members of the First Family (White House, online). In 1951, protection of the Vice President and the President-elect was added. After the assassination of Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) authorized the Secret Service to protect all Presidential candidates.

Over the years, the Secret Service's function has continued to change and grow. Its functions include:

Ð'* Protecting the President and Vice President and their families, candidates for those offices, former Presidents and their families, and visiting heads of foreign states and governments;

Ð'* Enforcing laws against counterfeiting currency, coins, or securities of the United States;

Ð'* Enforcing laws against fraud or forgery of Government checks or bonds, and other securities and obligations of the United States;

Ð'* Investigating credit and debit card fraud, computer fraud, and electronic fund transfer fraud;

Ð'* Furnishing physical security for the White House, the Main Treasury Building, and foreign embassies and missions in Washington, New York and other cities. (Treasury, 2002, Online).

These functions are directly reflected, below, in their mission statement and fall into two distinct categories Ð'- the investigative mission and the protective mission.

The United States Secret Service is mandated by statute and executive order to carry out two significant missions: protection and criminal investigations. The Secret Service protects the President and Vice President, their families, heads of state, and other designated individuals; investigates threats against these protectees; protects the White House, Vice President's Residence, Foreign Missions, and other buildings within Washington, D.C.; and plans and implements security designs for designated National Special Security Events. The Secret Service also investigates violations of laws relating to counterfeiting of obligations and securities of the United States; financial crimes that include, but are not limited to, access device fraud, financial institution fraud, identity theft, computer fraud; and computer-based attacks on our nation's financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure.

Protection remains the Secret Service's primary mission. The Secret Service Uniformed Division shares in accomplishing this mission through its protection of the White House and its immediate surroundings, as well as the residence of the Vice President, and over 170 foreign embassies located in Washington, D.C. Originally a force comprised of a few members of the military and the Metropolitan Police Department, it began formalized protection of the White House and its grounds in 1860. This unit was under the direction of the White House Military Aide until July 1, 1922 when President Warren G. Harding prompted the establishment of a White House Police Force.

It was not until 1930, after an unknown intruder managed to walk into the White House dining room, that President Herbert Hoover recognized the need for the White House Police and the Secret Service to join forces. President Hoover wanted the Secret Service to exclusively control every aspect of Presidential protection; therefore, Congress placed the supervision of the White House Police under the direction of the Chief of the Secret Service.

In 1970, Public Law 91-217 expanded the role of the White House Police, newly named the Executive Protective Service, to include protection of diplomatic missions in the Washington, D.C.,area. Congress later added the protection of the Vice President's immediate family to the Executive Protective Service's growing responsibilities in 1974.

After several name revisions, the force officially adopted its current name, the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division in 1977.

The Special Agent Division assists with the Secret Service's protective mission through their work with personal protection. Agents in this division are responsible for the welfare, safety, and protection of certain eligible individuals. The Secret Service protective methods are generally the same for all individuals protected. Permanent protectees, such as the President and the First Lady, have details of special agents assigned to them. Temporary protectees, such as candidates