The United States Secret Service has been responsible for the Presidential Protection Division since 1901, despite their original purpose being to combat counterfeit currency. Special Agents receive extensive training in protective practices and are willing to risk their lives to protect the President. Only one agent has been killed in an assassination attempt, but the job comes with daily danger. Members of the division are recognizable by their uniforms and communication headsets.
The Presidential Protection Division is charged with protecting the President of the United States and his immediate family. Since 1901, the Presidential Protection Division has been operated by the United States Secret Service, despite their unrelated purpose as a safeguard against counterfeit currency. Members of the President’s Security Team are often recognizable by their uniforms and communication headsets.
In 1865, the United States Department of the Treasury created the Secret Service to combat operations that flooded the economy with counterfeit currency. They quickly became an all-purpose federal law enforcement group, investigating areas where the Marshalls of the United States lacked jurisdiction or resources. When President William McKinley was shot and killed in 1901, Congress demanded that the Secret Service take over the duties of guarding the president. Since that time, they have formed the core of the Presidential Security Services and receive extensive training in protective practices.
The Presidential Protection Division is essential to ensure the safety of the President and his family at all times. This includes planning routes for motorcade travel, arranging security details for visiting dignitaries or the President’s trips around the world, as well as day-to-day policing of their office. They are meant to protect the President at any cost, including their own lives.
Special Agents, as members of the Presidential Protection Division are known, receive advanced training in weapons and defensive strategy. In addition to their preparatory work to ensure the safety of a place, they have to be vigilant for any potential attacks in any situation. If an attack is carried out, the special agents’ objectives are quite simple: they must get the President to safety by protecting him from the attack and evacuating him to a safe place.
As one might assume, working in the Presidential Protection Division is dangerous work, although only one officer has ever been killed in an attack on the president. In 1950, Private Leslie Coffelt was shot dead during an assassination attempt on President Truman. During the 1980 assassination attempt on President Ronald Regan, Special Agent Timothy McCarthy was shot in the abdomen when he leapt in front of the president to shield him from incoming fire. He recovered and was awarded the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Medal of Valor for his bravery.
Members of the Presidential Protection Division are easily recognized whenever the president is in public. They are typically dressed in formal suits with ties, although they will change their attire depending on the etiquette of the situation. They often use neutral-colored communication devices such as earphones or may carry military walkie-talkies. You may also see them running alongside the president’s motorcade as an added measure of protection.
While only one Secret Service agent has been killed protecting the president from assassination, the job comes with a daily risk of danger. Their willingness to take a bullet in the body to protect the President is an act of extraordinary courage and valour. While they may go unnoticed alongside the fame and importance of their office, members of the Presidential Protection Division are recognized for their bravery and essential services to their president and their country.
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