-
Inside The Secret Service1 of 49
by Allison Churchill, Geoffrey Ingersoll, and Robert Johnson
They're the guys in suits surrounding the President of the United States, ready to take a bullet to protect the leader of the free world
But that wasn't always their main role. President Abraham Lincoln created the United States Secret Service (USSS) to deal with the mad influx of counterfeit money after the Civil War. A move ironically made just hours before he was assassinated April 14,1865. Four months later the Service was fully operational.
In the 2004 run up to the presidential election George W. Bush spoke at Louisiana State University (LSU), where National Geographic took a closer look at the Secret Service for a documentary titled "Inside the US Secret Service." The film follows the president's advance team as it works with local law enforcement making sure every threat is addressed before the president arrives.
National Geographic doesn't spill all the secrets, but what they let us in on is pretty cool.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service2 of 49
Much of the country's top intelligence work takes place in this unmarked Washington, D.C. building
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service3 of 49
The United States Secret Service can't afford to underestimate the enemy in their mandate to protect the man, protect the symbol and protect the office.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service4 of 49
Within the Washington HQ is the National Threat Assessment Team, Intelligence Division, Counterfeit Research Unit, Electronic Crime Branch, and Tracking Center
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service5 of 49
The Tracking Center monitors the president, former presidents, and visiting dignitaries. And In a secret room, a joint operations team watches every entrance to the White House, and the First Family and vice president.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service6 of 49
The Secret Service got into the protection biz in 1901, following the assassination of President William McKinley. That mission had to be reauthorized every year until Harry Truman's term.
See Also: The FBI Investigation of Petraeus Started As One Agents Favor For a Friend
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service7 of 49
When President Truman was staying across the street at Blair House, two Puerto Rican nationals attacked in November 1950, killing one of the service agents.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service8 of 49
Congress then sent Truman a bill authorizing permanent protection. Upon signing it, the president said 'It's wonderful to know the work of protecting me has at last become legal.'
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
9 of 49
Today, every threat is investigated. Voice analysts listen to all phoned-in threats for accents, speech impediments, or other nuances that could identify an enemy.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
10 of 49
Letters are loaded into the Forensic Information System for Handwriting (FISH), then analyzed for fingerprints, and eventually bathed in a chemical bath to expose DNA
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
11 of 49
It's pretty impossible to make an anonymous threat, so investigators focus on whether those making threats are capable of carrying them out through travel or obtaining weapons
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
12 of 49
Immediately following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the USSS activated something called a "Continuity of Government" plan ...
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service13 of 49
Which extended protection to the speaker of the house, president pro tempore of the senate, and secretary of state
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service14 of 49
The agents whisked away the president in Air Force One, which itself constitutes a flying bunker
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service15 of 49
Master Special Officer Craig Miller, who worked in the New York HQ across the street from the World Trade Center, died while taking great risk to rescue victims trapped in the buildings
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service16 of 49
To make sure agents respond on instinct to any scenario, they train at a hidden site in Beltsville, Md., that features bombing, sniping, and other threat contingencies
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service17 of 49
And an obstacle course, among other rigorous tests, to prove they can meet the physical demands of the job
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service18 of 49
Drivers practice on an intense evasive driving course
See Also: See What Makes US Marine Scout Snipers The Deadliest Shot on the Planet
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service19 of 49
The site also features a half-replica of Air Force One
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service20 of 49
Agents have to qualify on their weapons, usually a .357 SIG Sauer Magnum, every month. The caliber ensures any threat is 'neutralized' as quickly as possible.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service21 of 49
When agents like these New York agents catch a counterfeiting ring, the service re-creates the bust in a training environment, in order to pass on tactics and techniques to the new guys.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
22 of 49
Dirty money funds serious threats such as illegal arms trading, drug trafficking, and terrorist planning
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
23 of 49
The Counterfeit Research Unit used to only see 100 cases a year; now they have over 600. This fake Benjamin was ID'd by the commercial 'recycle' watermark.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
24 of 49
Other forgers change the denomination on actual bill. Paper money gets a legal makeover every 5 to 7 years to throw off counterfeiters.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service25 of 49
The Service also changes policies in response to threats. For instance, the president now rides in an armored car with windows that are as thick as phone books ...
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service26 of 49
...Instead of a convertible. One of the agents on President John F. Kennedy's detail said the USSS failed, saying: 'On that particular day, all the advantages went to the shooter'
See Also: America Has the Fastest Supercomputers in the World
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
27 of 49
The service completely overhauled training, increased their numbers, and created a new threat-tracking system
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
28 of 49
Since 1 in 4 presidents has been attacked, and 1 in 10 killed, agents keep a tight bubble, even hiding in the bushes in the White House lawn
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service29 of 49
And not leaving the president's side if he goes on dangerous trips, like one President Bill Clinton took to Bangladesh and Pakistan
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service30 of 49
And one President George H.W. Bush took to Cartagena, Colombia, during the height of the drug wars
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service31 of 49
When his son, President George W. Bush, spoke at LSU, weeks of planning went into mitigating risks, and he wasn't even leaving the States
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service32 of 49
Two Air Force C-141 cargo planes carried equipment, personnel, and the president's limousine - affectionately called 'The Beast' - to Baton Rouge
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service33 of 49
Each of the 14,000 seats, more than 100 entrances, and all the air ducts and catwalks in LSU's stadium were meticulously inspected
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service34 of 49
The USSS and local law enforcement meet regularly to discuss plans, so execution in any situation becomes second nature to everyone involved
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service35 of 49
All the plants and seat pads were sniffed by Belgian Malinois. The breed has extremely sensitive noses and are easily trained.
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
36 of 49
Before the president arrives, the Baton Rouge airport is shut down, and snipers take their positions
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service37 of 49
The grounds are also given a full sweep for bombs and other threats
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service38 of 49
After the graduation speech, the president shook hands with people whom the agents vetted before his arrival
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service39 of 49
Just 80 minutes on the ground involves thousands of hours of manpower
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service40 of 49
The Service started protecting presidential candidates when Robert Kennedy was killed during his bid for the White House
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service41 of 49
Candidates want to seem accessible, but the Service finds ways, like this armored banner, to discreetly guard them
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service42 of 49
The agents monitor crowds for strange behavior during unplanned campaign stops, which often become chaotic and loud
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service43 of 49
The ability to read a crowd helped agents save Gerald Ford twice in September 1975
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
44 of 49
Once from this woman, Manson Family member Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, and later from Sara Jane Moore
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service45 of 49
After two such close calls, the Service tightened their bubble of protection even more, although John Hinckley Jr. still got close enough to President Ronald Reagan to fire six shots, injuring three people
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service46 of 49
After a gunman fired an assault weapon outside the White House during Clinton's presidency, agents asked him to stop jogging on the National Mall
See Also: Climate Change is Probably Gonna Be Worse Than Any of Us Expected
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service47 of 49
Presidents get very little privacy, and their detail is privy to most of their personal information
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service48 of 49
Ken Starr took advantage of this closeness by ordering Clinton's agents to testify during the investigation into his affair
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend
-
Inside the Secret Service49 of 49Next: The Funniest Pics You'll See Today
Privacy versus protection will always be a delicate balance for the USSS, but their mission is preventing attacks
-
-
More
- Share on Tumblr
- Pin It
- Email to a friend