Secret+Service

The United States Secret Servicetoc

The Secret Service is a police force that investigates and confronts counterfeiting operations and protects the United States Treasury. They have done so since a report in 1865 stating that over one-third of the currency circulating in the U.S. was counterfeit. They’re mission has changed since that time to not only protect the Treasury, but help track some of the newest threats to the people of America. They help break ground in the fight against identity theft and other forms of electronic theft.
 * 1) History
 * 2) CurrentMission
 * 3) Notable Accomplishments
 * 4) Notable failures
 * 5) In the future

=History= The Secret Service was created on July 5th, 1865 to combat the growing counterfeit currency problem in America. This wasn’t an actual act passed by congress but was rather an executive order from Abraham Lincoln. In 1867, duties were broaden to //“detecting persons perpetrating frauds against the government." // This included: The Ku-Klux-Klan, mail robbers and those creating infractions against the law. It wasn’t until 1901 when the Secret Service began guarding the President of the United States. Congress informally asked them to begin after the assassination of President William McKinley. In 1902, the Secret Service was tasked with the full-time responsibility of guarding the President by having a minimum of two agents on White House detail at all times. In 1951, Congress granted protection to the President’s immediate family and the Vice-President’s upon request. Newer laws in the 60s, however, require the Secret Service to protect former presidents and their wives for a “reasonable amount of time”. In 1968, after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Secret Service began to protect major presidential nominees. In 1997, the previous act of lifetime protection was reduced to 10 years of protection; any president elected before this time however still receives lifetime protection. In 2001, congress created Homeland Security and folded the Secret Service into it. This wasn’t official until May 1st 2003. Since then, the Secret Service has been under Homeland Security.

Current Mission
As the Secret Service grows, so has its mission and how it accomplishes those missions. Their public statement on investigations shows just that. “…The Secret Service's investigative responsibilities have expanded to 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.” With a  conviction rate of 98.8%, the Secret Service has always been on top of things and accomplishing them as well especially when it comes to electronic theft and counterfeiting.

Notable Accomplishments
In 1990, with help from the Secret Service, the United States government was able to convict and uncover a counterfeit ring. They were able to take an estimated $1.1 million dollars in counterfeit money. Eduardo Ignancio Munio and six other men were arrested and eventually convicted of breaking counterfeit laws. With a conviction rate of 98.8%, imagine all of the counterfeit money the Secret Service has helped take off the streets of America. They also have accomplished their mission of protection. In 1950, President Harry Truman was able to escape with the help of Secret Service agents unharmed from an assassination attempt. Sadly, though, no one is perfect.

Notable Failures
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Sadly, the Secret Service has never been perfect either. Thankfully, these failures are few and spread throughout time. The Secret Service’s most notable failure was the untimely death of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. This has to be the most important and notable failure. Some more recent gaps in security involve some strange people. In Iraq, December 2008, an Iraqi news reporter threw a pair of shoes at then President George W. Bush missing him both times. The Secret Service admitted that there was a lack of intervention at the time and has taken responsibility. Even more recent is the state dinner of 2009 where the uninvited <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Salahi <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">couple crashed the event. After finding out about the mix up, the couple was escorted out. Again, the Secret Service took responsibility in the lack of security.

In the Future
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">As is any organization, the Secret Service is always looking into ways in which it can improve. Speaking to an Officer working the grounds of the White House, he told me that the Secret Service has moved from being a ‘reactive’ agency, to a ‘proactive’ establishment, finding the threat and removing it before it can cause any harm. As called by number, an 18-11 or Secret Service agent, is spearheading this proactive movement. Every agent or officer is put through 6 months of basic training in order to help accomplish these objectives. They’re either put on ‘detail’ or protective duty, or sent to one of many offices spanning the country to help investigate in possible threats, help protect visiting persons of interest like for instance the First Lady or investigate cases of counterfeiting or financial fraud. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">As the number of threats in terrorism increases, so does the effort of the Secret Service in preventing it from happening and protecting the people of the United States from it. Though it started as a small combatant to counterfeiting money, it now combats some of the most dangerous threats in the world.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Secret Service Analysis **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> The United States Secret Service

The Secret Service was tasked with a mission to protect the countries from not only terrorism abroad but from electronic assaults as well. Accomplishing their tasks with a 98% conviction rate to whatever their investigation may be about, the Secret Service is one of the best crime fighting and protection agencies in the world. They have helped shape American history since its creation in the 1800’s not only by fighting economic fraud but by protecting the first family and president. Since being charged with this task only 1 President has been assassinated while under the USSS’s protection. This makes them one of the most pristine agencies in America and the world. = The Secret Service: 40s-50s = As the Secret Service grew throughout the century, they have never forgotten their missions; protect the President and keep America economically safe. This wasn’t always the case. Before the 1940s, the Secret Service did not have to protect the President nor the first family. In 1950 however, an assassination attempt on Harry S. Truman’s life changed that. The following year, Congress passed legislation requiring the Secret Service to protect not only the President but also the first family. This decade of loss and tragedy helped require more security not only for the President but would also help America as well. A good move towards becoming a more secure nation for as America grew, so did the number attempts on the President’s life.
 * 1) Secret Service: 40-50s
 * 2) Secret Service: 60s-70s
 * 3) Secret Service: 90s to Today
 * 4) Popular Culture

The Secret Service: 60s-70s
The Secret Service faced massive reform from legislation enacted by Congress in the 60s. First in 1960, Congress passed laws that allowed the USSS to protect past Presidents for “a reasonable amount of time.” This later included the Presidents immediate family. To protect the presidential line of succession, Congress expanded the coverage in 1961 to include the Vice-President and those that follow him in it, like the Speaker of the House, Secretary of State etc. In 1968 after JFK’s tragic assassination, Congress enacted law to protect all major presidential candidates and vice-presidential nominees. It also required protection for widows of Presidents for the rest of their life until death, remarriage and any children they may have until 16 years of age. Since this law was enacted, only one major candidate has been assassinated and he was also the President running for re-election. How America presents itself to the world is as important as protecting it. In the 70s Congress renamed the White House Police Force to Executive Protective Service. They also gave them the duty of protecting any foreign official on a diplomatic mission in Washington D.C. This however changed in 1975 to include diplomatic missions around the United States. In 1971, Congress enacted a vital law in how America presents itself. As one of the most pristine protection forces in the world, the Secret Service was tasked with protecting visiting heads of foreign countries and or other official guests as directed by Congress. Since this law was passed, not a single foreign head of state or official has been assassinated on U.S. soil. This shows the wide range of abilities that the Secret Service has at its disposal.

The Secret Service: 90s to Today
As America grows, so do the looming threats that it encounters day to day. The Secret Service started to become more complex with more departments and regulations entering the 20th and 21st century. In 1990 the Secret Service received jurisdiction from the Department of Justice and acquired the ability to conduct any type of investigation so long as it retains to protecting federally insured financial institutions. This allowed them to get in touch and become stronger in defending what they were originally created for. In 1994 the Secret Service went worldwide, in hopes of stopping foreign counterfeiting, passing a law stating that “ … any person manufacturing, trafficking in, or possessing counterfeit U.S. currency abroad may be prosecuted as if the act occurred within the United States.” This was enacted to help strengthen the dollar in the world economy. In 2000 the Presidential Threat Protection Act was signed into law. This authorized the Secret Service to participate in planning, coordinating and enforcing protection procedures at special events of national significance as decided by the President. The Secret Service’s biggest move was from the Department of the Treasury and to the newly created Department of Homeland Security on March 1st, 2003. As a result of this transfer, they have since 2008, made 29,000 criminal arrests for counterfeiting, cyber investigations and financial crimes concerning fraud, counterfeiting and the duties in which they were originally tasked with. With a 98% conviction rate, they seized a total of $295 million dollars in counterfeit currency and prevented a potential loss of more than $12 billion dollars to the U.S. economy. This couldn’t have been done without an organization created solely for the purpose of catching those who do it and preventing it in the future as a proactive agency. Moving to the newly created Department of Homeland Security may have been the best move the Secret Service made in the decade. This allowed for more funding to pursue counterfeiting operations and many other illegal activities, keeping our nation safe.

Popular Culture
With a suit, sunglasses and a wire protruding from the ear, the Secret Service has long been a part of America’s history as a protective agency. It has also been the focus of many popular films and conspiracy theories. The most notable movie about the Secret Service starring Clint Eastwood called “In the Line of Fire” is about a Secret Service agent’s relentless pursuit of an assassin. Another more recent movie on the subject is called “Vantage Point” starring Dennis Quad as a Secret Service agent on the pursuit of an assassin in Spain. Both movies show the action orientated side of a Secret Service agent but do not show how most work protecting the nation’s economy from counterfeiting. This does however bring attention to the organization and respect for it as well.

Conclusion
The Secret Service has always been at the front line in the struggle for keeping America safe at home and abroad. America is lucky to have an organization that is this devoted in protection and should continue to support them as our nation grows. As one of America’s best government agencies, they have shown time and time again that they will help the President of the United States carry out his duty. From now until the end of time, constantly guiding history as it unfolds. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Works Cited <span style="background-color: white; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">United States. Cong. Homeland Security. By Shawn Reese. 112th Cong., 1st sess. Cong. Rept. RL34603. Print. United States Secret Service. "History." //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">United States Secret Service //. United States Secret Service. Web. 23 May 2011. <http://www.secretservice.gov/history.shtml>. UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee. United States Court of Appeals. 15 Aug. 1990. //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Public.Resource.Org //. Public.Resource.Org. Web. 3 June 2011. []. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Assassinations and Attempts in U.S. Since 1865 — Infoplease.com." //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com //. Information Please® Database, 2007. Web. 03 June 2011. []. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Durkot, Brandon. "Secret Service." Telephone interview. 19 May 2011.