Hey guys, so watching the conspiracy video about the JFK assassination got me thinking about the Secret Service. Here's what I found:
The Secret Service was created in 1865 by the United States Treasury. Approximately 40% of the currency in circulation at this time was counterfeit, so their primary objective was to abolish the counterfeiting. Because the only other crime fighting federal agency, the U.S. Marshal Service, did not have the manpower to investigate all crimes, the Secret Service was asked to extend their role towards the later part of the nineteenth century. This entailed carrying out federal investigations and making arrests.
When President McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Congress asked the Secret Service to once again extend its role, this time reorganizing it into a protective agency. This label of protective agency was not made official until 1951 when Congress formally charged the Secret Service with the protection of the President, his family, and his cabinet. Prior to 1997, any former President was granted lifetime protection of the Secret Service, and after 1997 they were granted 10 years of protection.
It was not until 2003 that the Secret Service was officially moved from the Treasury Department to the Department of Homeland Security. Contrary to popular belief, the Secret Service is still not limited just to the protection of the President and his family. They continue to investigate financial crimes and make arrest. In 2009 the Secret Service made almost 3,000 arrests for financial crimes and injustices, namely counterfeiting.
In our current culture, we think of these men and women as the mysterious force whose job is to protect the President. But it is not just him they protect, for visiting world leaders, their families, the presidential cabinet, and former presidents fall under their protection as well. There is much more than meets the eye with this mysterious federal agency.
Really interesting post! I think its intriguing that the secret service was originally created for purposes other than protection because that's all I've ever known them for. It makes me wonder what other roles different federal agencies have.
ReplyDeleteI would have never thought that the Secret Service had been created as early as 1865! I also wonder what prompted the shift in 1997- with the advancement of technology in weaponry, you would think legislation would favor more protection.
ReplyDeleteIt's really weird to find out the Secret Service started out in the Treasury Department. It's also interested/sad to see that it takes prominent public figures getting assassinated for the Secret Service's job description to change.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I wonder why the Secret Service was moved from the Treasury Department to the Department of Homeland Security. I know 9/11 was a huge, disturbing wake up call for many Americans and after this Americans became increasingly obsessed with security. Perhaps a growing desire for safety, coupled with the shift that the Secret Service had already undergone in 1997, prompted them to move departments and finalize their role as primarily a protective agency.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction was similar to Thomas's. I didn't really know much about the secret service other than that they dress fancy and protect the president. I think it shows that a current public image of something can easily make you forget its history, or the way it may have existed in the past.
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by secret agents and the like. Its like what Mr. Stewart said about conspiracies. We are always intrigued by the unknown. We seek to go beyond the truth and look for some deeper meaning.
ReplyDeleteI find the shift from lifetime protection to only 10 years of Presidential protection interesting. I wonder why this happened and what prompted it? I also find it interesting that the Secret Service fell under the Treasury Department. Why was that, was money more involved?
ReplyDeleteCarmen, the Secret Service originally fell under the Treasury Department because it was created to stop the vast counterfeiting the United States was experiencing at the time (1860-1870).
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see that the Secret Service part of the Treasury Department to stop the counterfeit money and later broadened to include any frauds made on the government, and then later on was made permanent to protect the president.
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