In every TV show/movie they make the Secret Service out to look like every member of the organization is 1/2 Navy Seal and 1/2 rocket scientist (really smart). Is the Secret Service really this good or is that just the reputation they have created for themselves?
More like 1/2 Keystone Cops
I read some episode about the SS guarding Cheney. Some fellow came up to him during a Colorado ski vacation and told him what he thought of the White House policies. There’s some suggestion the guy may have tapped Cheney on the shoulder. After he left, the two SS followed him, told another SS that the fellow “assaulted” the veep and had him arrested. After a few hours of sorting things out, the first two SS apparently left the ird guy twisting in the wind for an illegal arrest. Apparently to arrest without a warrant you have to have knowledge of a crime - the other two apparently did not like the third guy and weaseled about what they said. The third agent as a result faced a wrongful arrest lawsuit an eventually, IIRC, resigned.
From the article I read, during the lawsuit it came out the Secret Service was like a bunch of teenage schoolgirls, with rumours and innuendo, cliques and rivalries, and serious backstabbing and career sabotage.
Not to be a killjoy, but this is one of those things in which every article about it will be 100% politically charged. Add to this the fact that given their responsibilities little to no hard, verifiable information is ever going to be released about them (the word ‘Secret’ is right in their name for Christ’s sake!) And, again, even when some is it will be tainted by political bias…
Like other services and agencies (i.e. the FBI and NASA to name just 2), they have a conscious PR program to make themselves look good-er to inform the public about what they do.
Since there is very little independent analysis of their actions, the only thing people hear are the PR stuff.
Just like the military, or many private businesses, if you want their cooperation, they will explicitly review your script to make sure it has the right message. If they don’t like the message, no cooperation. No pictures, no access, no background, etc.
If you want to know about federal law enforcement, ask someone in local law enforcement. The DEA they respect. The FBI-the only part that impresses local police I have talked to is the huge budget the FBI has for informants. Other than their ability buy information, they get very little respect. Of course, it may be sour grapes or envy. One can never be sure. But I have heard this from multiple people in law enforcement. I have not heard anything about the SS one way or the other from local cops.
What we don’t know is how many serious threats there are to the President.
Given recent scandals concerning what agents did while in foreign countries, it would seem that the other half is the kind of loser that picks up hookers off steet corners.
I would expect that local police’s main interaction with the Secret Service is to watch as they swoop in and lock down everything that the President might see, hear, smell, or think about during his visit.
My suspicion (not backed up by any facts) is that the Secret Service is not highly regarded by law enforcement, simply due to the huge PITA factor surrounding their arrival.
I can’t tell you how good they are because it’s a secret.
They have had their issues lately, but one thing I think they do have in their favor is that the individual officers take the protection seriously.
In the Reagan assignation, Wikipedia says “As Special Agent In Charge Jerry Parr quickly pushed Reagan into the limousine, the fourth bullet hit Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy in the abdomen as he spread his body over Reagan to make himself a target.” Immediately doing right thing (removing the President and covering him with your body), is a sign of good training and dedication.
During the Truman Assassination attempt, I would definitely nominate Leslie Coffelt for a Badass award. From Wikipedia:
Meanwhile, Torresola had approached a guard booth at the west corner, where he took White House Police officer Leslie Coffelt by surprise, shooting four times at close range and mortally wounding him with a 9×19mm German Luger. Three of those shots struck Coffelt in the chest and abdomen; the fourth went through his tunic.
Seconds later,
Coffelt left the guard booth, propped against it, and fired his .38-caliber service revolver at Torresola, about 30 feet (10 m) away. Coffelt hit Torresola 2 inches (50 mm) above the ear, killing him instantly. Taken to the hospital, Coffelt died four hours later.*
Now I am sure on the internet we could find a few people that could claim that making a headshot at 31 feet is not that hard for them, but I would like to see them do it seconds after being surprised and taking three in the chest.
I’m no expert but I did a little research on this once–the SS does have to work closely with local law enforcement when the president visits because there are more locals on the ground, and they know the area. Obama once landed literally across the street from me and there were tons of local police/sheriff’s deputies. So I would think local law enforcement would have an opinion if they’d worked on a presidential visit, but the advance teams are a little different from the actual protection detail–when the president shows up the advance team is off somewhere else, preparing for that visit. So their may be differences between the way those two “branches” operate.
The SS guy in from of my house told me I had to move out of my driveway and get on my porch. I backed up three feet. That was the end of the interaction.
Also, there is also a difference between the guys with earpieces and the uniformed guys at the White House. And of course now they have snipers on the roof, who I think are also SS.
True enough, but the way I see it, we’ve had a Black President of the United States for six years and there has not, in my memory, been a serious attempt on his life…and given that history shows that Americans have never hesitated to pop off a shot or two at Presidents for less grevious crimes than being black (tongue firmly in cheek, people), I suspect someone is doing a fair job, be it the SS, FBI, CIA, OSS, SHIELD, FFA, or some local cops.
IMHO as always. YMMV.
I’ve heard differently from local (NYC) law enforcement. A sampling of relatives and acquaintances includes (these days) NYPD cops, US Marshals, a few assistant district attorneys, and one assistant US attorney.
The consensus seems to be:
DEA: Cowboys and clowns, and they can actually be a hindrance.
FBI: Great at investigations. Tenacious. Big budget helps.
NYPD: Not all that great at investigations. Shitty records, lack of coordination.
SS: The presidential bodyguard stuff is all well and good, but they’re part of the Treasury, and on their less well-publicized missions, they do a decent job.
Trying to get this a little more back into GQ territory of the OP.
What are the selection requirements to become a secret service agent?
How do these compare with other elite units such as the Navy seals or army rangers?
I realize this is comparing apples to oranges (civilian vs military), but I would assume that both have physical requirements and marksmanship requirements.
They’ve been part of Homeland Security since 2003.
Wow… my experience differs greatly.
DEA: Cowboys, but not clowns.
FBI: Slow investigations that yield things like Martha Stewart serving four months for millions of dollars of fraud.
NYPD: Meh - they’re a municipal PD, not an IC member.
SS: They’re not part of Treasury, they’re DHS (since the re-organization post 9/11). Financial crimes and protection are separate priorities; they’re pretty good at both. Always room for improvement, but I find no professional faults.
My experience has been somewhere between the two of you, with you closer.
DEA: Cowboys, but not clowns. per GiantRat.
ATF: Cowboys and clowns
FBI- no sense of humor at all. Otherwise solid.
SecServ: very professional.
No doubt. I don’t have any experience with those organizations at all. Just know some people who do. And many of them are lawyers (ADAs, AUSAs) and their perspective may be different than that of police officers or other LEOs.
Figures the local cops would respect an agency that keeps people in pain from being able to get medication. Los of respect to those who intimidate doctors who try to help their patients.