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| A brief and straight-forward look at the history of the Secret Service. The Secret Service has grown into a hi-tech enforcement organization which today serves a dual purpose. The agency was first formed in the 1800's to combat the counterfeiting of money. Now, it is a sophisticated organization that not only investigates financial crimes against the government but serves to protect the President of the United States. | |
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The United States Secret Service was first formed in 1865 to combat the counterfeiting, or the illegal manufacturing, of money in the United States. During the early 1800's, there was no such thing as a uniform currency from state to state which made counterfeiting dollars and coins relatively easy to do. The problem grew so large that an estimated one-third of the nation's currency was considered counterfeit. The counterfeiting trade threatened to destroy the nation's economy at the time. In response, President Abraham Lincoln commissioned the Secret Service to eliminate the illegal production of money. The Secret Service was signed into action on April 14th, 1865. Ironically, President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 15th, 1865. President Lincoln was the first United States President ever to be assassinated. The Secret Service officially went to work in July of 1865 and was created as a branch under the United States Department of Treasury. In short order, the Secret Service was successful in shutting down hundreds of counterfeiting plants and worked to bring stability to the U.S economy. Because of the Secret Service's successes, the agency was expanded and tasked with more responsibility and began not only investigation counterfeiting crimes but crimes or frauds against the government as well. The agency was also used sparingly to protect the President of the United States from time to time as its responsibilities grew. As time passed, the nation saw two other presidents assassinated. Presidents James A. Garfield and William McKinley were both killed while in office which prompted congress to approve a more comprehensive presidential protection program. The Secret Service's duties were further expanded to fulfill the role of full-time presidential bodyguard. That responsibility was delegated in 1902 following President McKinley's death. In the beginning, just two Secret Service agents were assigned to guard the White House at a time. In 1908, the Secret Service's responsibilities further grew to not only protect the president but the president elect as well. That was followed by the creation of what is now know as the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations). The very first FBI agents were in fact Secret Service agents that were transferred to the Department of Justice because of their investigatory skills. Eventually, a uniformed White House Police Force was created whose function was to solely secure the White House from any threats to the president. Originally, the White House Police Force was not affiliated with the Secret Service. In 1922, that agency was assumed by the Secret Service as an additional responsibility. Today, the Secret Service is comprised of both uniformed and non-uniformed agents. The protection duties of the Secret Service have increased over time and not only include protecting the president him or herself, but the president elect, presidential candidates, presidential family members and past presidents also. The Secret Service has grown into a sophisticated law enforcement body that serves two main purposes, to protect the president by deploying around the world with the president and to investigate serious financial crimes. Today's Secret Service utilizes many classified technologies to accomplish their missions and support hundreds of agents at a time to thoroughly protect the president in a variety of situations. Today's Secret Service agents are highly trained individuals who undergo intensive training with many opportunities for advancement and are a superior federal law enforcement organization. |
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