A little while ago, my class was assigned to make an essay answering our main inquiry questions. It was easier than expected because all we had to do was put all of our research into essay form. I thought the hardest part was to revise and edit because it was hard to choose if I should change it or not. I think that one of the easiest parts of the essay was the body paragraphs because all we had to do was go into detail about our research. I am proud of how I answered the question. Here is my essay:
When you think of the Secret Service, you think of presidential protection, but there is so much more to the secret service. What you don’t think of is cyber security and the tough process you have to go through to become an agent. This lead me to researching the secret service and soon turned into “How has presidential protection changed over the years?” I will be talking about the secret service is, what happened after the William Mckinnley assasination, Selection process, the application process, specialized training, the agent’s personal life,and the impact of the advancement of technology on the president and their team.
The secret service has 2 goals. The first one established in 1865 was to suppress US currency counterfeiting. The second goal, established in 1901, was to protect the president. To this day, both of these goals remain. Some of the changes were, Protection of first family, vice president and spouse of vice president, protection of electees, and protection of foreign leaders.They also try to block cyberattacks, identity fraud, and other types of fraud.
After the William Mickinnley assasination, the secret service started to protect the president. They had 2 agents, who were with the president daily. At the time, this was good protection but would later need more because of the frequent assasinatiopn attempts. Soon later, congress and the government started funding for the secret service. They would use these funds to provide more agents and protection. This is very important because if the president was assassinated, this could lead to a collapse of the economy. In 1953, something historic happened. The first secret service school was created. This would be a big step in ensuring safety. In 1963, a tragedy occurred. JFK was assassinated. This would be a big turning point in protection because they needed to ensure the safety of the president. Laws were created, federal crimes put in place, more agents hired. People were furious and they wanted to make a change. Soon, they started to protect Elected officials, first family’s, Vice Presidents, and foreign leaders when visiting the US along with their own detail .
The application process begins with a job opportunity. Then phase one rolls into play. Phase one includes a SAEE written examination, physical ability’s test, interview with 2 agents, panel review and conditional job offers. This process is important because it shows if they are able to occupy the job. Also, it is important for the staff to learn about the possible agent because they don’t want spy’s. Then, they start phase two. Phase two includes a security interview/credit checks, a polygraph examination, a medical and a physiological examination and a background check. Did you know background checks can take up to 6-9 months depending on that person’s background? Similar to phase one, phase two plays a big role in the decision of the agent. Phase two shows if they are able to exceed the job and also be able to handle the pressure. As this may seem simple, there are some limits. For example, you need to be a US citizen, valid driver’s license, hearing cant exceed 25 decibels, at least be 21 and no older than 37, need to carry and have experience using a firearm, and many more. This shows that applying for the secret service can be very hard.
The selection process is complicated. First, they review your answers to both phase one and two. They take all of the agents that are in the top percentile with the best answers and then interview them again. Everyone else is no longer able to become an agent. Some people show up to the interview and are confident, while others don’t show up and are nervous. To be a secret service agent you don’t have to just be a big person that’s strong, you have to be mentally strong equally as much as physically. Some of the people that decide the agents are officers, former agents, current agents, and the president views their applications and makes the final decision. Usually if the president can’t do it, a leading officer will take charge. Similar to a law being made, if the president says no, the agent has another chance to make it still.
Training plays a big role in becoming a secret service agent. Even if you complete phase one and two, and are selected for training, you can still be kicked out of the training because you couldn’t complete the tasks assigned. For training,You must spend eleven weeks at FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center) . At FLETC, you will learn some of the basics and build up stamina, endurance, and strength. Some people fail this step because of the challenging things they face even though they seem simple. Everyday, you would run for miles, do tons of exercises, and wake up very early in the morning. FLETC is followed by a seventeen week specialized training program. Here, you learn how to do extreme outdoor activities. For example, skiing, scuba diving, horseback riding, etc. This is very important because if the president wants to do anything “extreme” they have to be prepared. Also, agents receive this training because they can’t have experts do this with the president because they might try to do something. They also run simulations. These simulations can include, a assasination attempt, a medical emergency, and many more. These can be more stressful than an actual attack because you will be judged by your response unlike when a real thing happens you would have to just protect the president. You also learn three very important things. Soundoff, cover, evacuate. Soundoff means you realize what’s going on. Cover is to protect the president. Don’t worry about what is happening to the attacker, other people will take care of that. Then Evacuate, do everything you can to get the president to safety. Whether it’s hiding in a bathroom or sitting in the basement of a police department. You always have to do everything you can to ensure the safety of the president. As my interviewee (Tom Greenaway) said, “ some days you would eat the bear and the bear would eat you.”
The new generation of technology has impacted the president and their team in many ways. For example, With modern equipment like drones and jamming devices, they will be able to prevent attacks and scan areas. With modern planes, they will be able to have a stealthy air force. These new inventions are very important because they take care of the little things, which can result in a big impact. New technologies don’t only help the president though, they can help their team, the military, and even congress and the supreme court. This is hard though, the secret service has to disable things on the device that can be “hacked.” This challenges both the secret service and the president because the secret service wants to fulfill the president’s wishes, but they don’t want to put the president in danger. In some recent years, they have made advancements to make this decision easier. For example, more landlines have been put in, they have removed the cameras and locators from ipads, inserted secured cables, and taken out software. Even though enhancements have been made, you still aren’t allowed to bring it into any secure room. For example, the briefing room, you can’t bring it into the briefing room to hear any secure information.
In conclusion, the secret service has many parts to its evolution. From having 2 agents to 3200, from having no technology to having advanced devices. All in all, the job of an agent has drastically evolved over the years and will continue to change in the future.