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• The United States Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency formerly under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, but currently under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Its two basic purposes are to protect American heads of state and to investigate crimes involving counterfeit U.S. currency.

  October 22, 2009 Sky News reports that U.S. Secret Service agents arrested a security guard named John Brek in the staff break room at Newark Liberty International Airport. He allegedly made some threatening comments there in the break room, according to the person who reported the incident to the U.S. Secret Service. http://blogs.news.sky.com/americanpie/Post:58786ab7-9570-43ed-9798-5405c46cab7c

• Fast Facts

  1. Also known as: Secret Service Division
  2. Formed: July 5, 1865
  3. Established by the U.S. Department of the Treasury
  4. Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
  5. Parent agency: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  6. Former parent agency: U.S. Department of the Treasury
  7. Employees: 3,200 agents and 1,200 uniformed officers
  8. Director: Mark J. Sullivan
  9. Budget: $1.3 billion (2007)
  10. Initially created to stop counterfeit money after the Civil War

• Who They Protect

  Secret Service agents are assigned to protect specific individuals important to the United States government. These include:

  1. President and Vice President
  2. President-elect and Vice President-elect
  3. Former Presidents and their spouses (except when the spouse remarries)
  4. Certain candidates for the offices of President and Vice President (within 120 days of general election)
  5. Children and grandchildren of current and former presidents until age 16
  6. Visiting foreign heads of state and government and their spouses
  7. Any other individuals designated by President or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

• How They Protect

  Although numerous details of how the Secret Service protect their charges are kept under wraps, some details have been disclosed and/or leaked over the years. Code names for many of the Secret Service protectees, including the president, vice president and family members for current and former presidents have been released. During Inauguration Day 2009, Secret Service snipers were seen on rooftops in Washington DC, keeping an eye out for snipers or other threats. In addition, President Barack Obama will be transported in a new heavily armored Cadillac limousine.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Barack Obama | Obama Secret Service Code Names | United States Presidents | John F. Kennedy | Identity Theft | Department of Defense | William McKinley | Robert F. Kennedy | Theodore Roosevelt | U.S. Department of the Treasury | Department of Homeland Security | Obama Presidential Limo | How to Become a Detective | DeMaurice Smith

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