Editing United States Secret Service (section)

==Primary missions==
The Secret Service is mandated by [[United States Congress|Congress]] with two distinct and critical national security missions: protecting the nation's leaders and safeguarding the [[financial]] and critical [[infrastructure]] of the [[United States]].

===Protective mission===
The Secret Service is tasked with ensuring the safety of the [[president of the United States]], the [[Vice President of the United States|vice president of the United States]], the [[president-elect of the United States]], the [[Vice President-elect of the United States|vice president-elect of the United States]], and their immediate families; [[List of Presidents of the United States|former presidents]], their spouses and their children under the age of 16; those in the [[United States presidential line of succession|presidential line of succession]], major presidential and vice-presidential [[candidates]] and their spouses; and visiting foreign heads of state and heads of government. By custom, it also provides protection to the [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|secretary of the treasury]] and [[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|secretary of homeland security]], as well as other people as directed by the president (usually the [[White House Chief of Staff|White House chief of staff]] and [[National Security Advisor (United States)|national security advisor]], among others). Former Secret Service director [[Kimberly Cheatle]] told the congressional oversight committee that as of July 22, 2024 the secret service has a total of 36 protectees. By federal statute, the president and vice president may not refuse this protection.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bauer |first1=Bob |last2=Goldsmith |first2=Jack |date=2020 |title=After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1198233124 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Lawfare Press |page=67 |isbn=978-1-7354806-1-9|oclc=1198233124 }}</ref> The Secret Service also provides physical security for the [[White House|White House Complex]]; the neighboring [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department]] building; the [[Number One Observatory Circle|vice president's residence]]; the principal private residences of the president, vice president and former presidents; and all foreign diplomatic missions in [[Washington, D.C.]] The protective mission includes protective operations to coordinate manpower and logistics with state and local [[law enforcement]] in the US, protective advances to conduct site and venue assessments for protectees, and protective intelligence to investigate all manners of threats made against protectees. The Secret Service is the lead agency in charge of the planning, coordination, and implementation of security operations for events designated as [[National Special Security Event|National Special Security Events]] (NSSE). As part of the service's mission of preventing an incident before it occurs, the agency relies on advance work and threat assessments developed by its Intelligence Division to identify potential risks to protectees.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/|title=United States Secret Service: Protective Mission|publisher=Secretservice.gov|access-date=September 20, 2017|archive-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425225705/https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

===Investigative mission===
The Secret Service is tasked with safeguarding the payment and [[financial system]]s of the [[United States]] from a wide range of financial and cyber-based crimes. Financial investigations include counterfeit U.S. currency, bank and financial institution fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, illicit financing operations, and major conspiracies. Cyber investigations include [[cybercrime]], network intrusions, [[identity theft]], access device fraud, credit card fraud, and intellectual property crimes. The Secret Service is also a member of the [[FBI]]'s [[Joint Terrorism Task Force]] (JTTF) which investigates and combats terrorism on a national and international scale. Also, the Secret Service investigates missing and exploited children and is a partner of the [[National Center for Missing & Exploited Children]] (NCMEC).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation/|title=United States Secret Service: Investigative Mission|publisher=Secretservice.gov|access-date=September 20, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916015010/https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation/|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

The Secret Service's initial responsibility was to investigate the counterfeiting of U.S. currency, which was rampant following the [[American Civil War]]. The agency then evolved into the [[United States]]' first domestic intelligence and [[counterintelligence]] agency. Many of the agency's missions were later taken over by subsequent agencies such as the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI), [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA), [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives]] (ATF), and [[IRS Criminal Investigation Division]] (IRS-CI).

The Secret Service is also tasked with investigating reports of the existence of specimens of the extremely rare [[1933 double eagle]] gold coin, as only a single example of the fourteen known survivors from this mintage year is authorized to be owned or sold.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-03-02 |title=1933 Double Eagle coin on display at Goldsmiths' Hall |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-17230477 |access-date=2023-11-07}}</ref>

===Dual objective===
[[File:Secret Service agents conducting investigations.jpg|thumb|right|Secret Service agents conducting electronic investigations]]
The Secret Service combines the two responsibilities into a dual objective. The two core missions of protection and investigation synergize with each other, providing benefits to special agents during the course of their careers. Skills developed during the course of investigations which are also used in an agent's protective duties include but are not limited to: 
* Partnerships that are created between field offices and local law enforcement during the course of investigations being used to gather both protective intelligence and in coordinating protection events.
* Tactical operation (e.g. surveillance, arrests, and search warrants) and law enforcement writing (e.g. affidavits, after-action reports, and operations plans) skills being applied to both investigative and protective duties.
* Proficiency in analyzing handwriting and forgery techniques being applied in protective investigations of handwritten letters and suspicious-package threats.
* Expertise in investigating electronic and financial crimes being applied in protective investigations of threats made against the nation's leaders on the [[Internet]].

Protection of the nation's highest elected leaders and other government officials is one of the primary missions of the Secret Service. After the 1901 [[Assassination of William McKinley|assassination of President William McKinley]], [[United States Congress|Congress]] also directed the Secret Service to protect the [[president of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timeline of Our History |url=https://www.secretservice.gov/about/history/timeline#:~:text=1902,to%20the%20White%20House%20Detail. |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=www.secretservice.gov}}</ref> The Secret Service investigates thousands of incidents each year of individuals [[threatening the President of the United States|threatening the president of the United States]].

The Secret Service is authorized by 18 U.S.C. § 3056(a) to protect:<ref name="ProtectionLaw">{{cite web|title=United States Code: Title 18, Section 3056|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3056|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106081228/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3056|archive-date=November 6, 2020|access-date=November 6, 2020}}</ref>
* The president, vice president (or the next individual in the [[United States presidential line of succession|order of succession]], should the vice presidency be vacant), president-elect and vice president-elect
* The immediate families of the above individuals
* Former presidents and their spouses for their lifetimes, except if the spouse remarries
* Children of former presidents under the age of 16
* Visiting heads of state or government and their spouses traveling with them
* Other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States and official representatives of the United States performing special missions abroad, when the president directs protection be provided
* Major presidential and vice presidential candidates and, within 120 days of a general presidential election, their spouses
*Former vice presidents, their spouses, and their children under 16 years of age, for up to 6 months from the date the former vice president leaves office (the Secretary of Homeland Security can authorize temporary protection of these individuals at any time after that period)

In addition to the above, the Secret Service can also protect other individuals by executive order of the president.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Secret Service FAQs|url=https://www.secretservice.gov/about/faqs/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101024003/https://www.secretservice.gov/about/faqs/|archive-date=November 1, 2020|access-date=November 7, 2020|website=www.secretservice.gov}}</ref> Under Presidential Policy Directive 22, "[[National Special Security Event]]s", the Secret Service is the lead agency for the design and implementation of operational security plans for events designated an NSSE by the secretary of [[homeland security]].

[[File:DoNotEnter.jpg|thumb|upright|Sign at the Obama family home in 2021 stating the area is protected by the Secret Service]]

There have been changes to the protection of former presidents over time. Under the original [[Former Presidents Act]], former presidents and their spouses were entitled to lifetime protection, subject to limited exceptions. In 1994, this was amended to reduce the protection period to 10 years after a former president left office, starting with presidents assuming the role after January 1, 1997. On January 10, 2013, President [[Barack Obama]] signed legislation reversing this limit and reinstating lifetime protection to all former presidents.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gillman|first=Todd J.|title=Obama signs lifetime Secret Service protection for George W. Bush, himself and future presidents|url=http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/obama-signs-lifetime-secret-service-protection-for-george-w-bush-himself-and-future-presidents.html/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115091119/http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/obama-signs-lifetime-secret-service-protection-for-george-w-bush-himself-and-future-presidents.html/|archive-date=January 15, 2013|access-date=January 18, 2013|work=Trail Blazers Blog|publisher=The Dallas Morning News}}</ref> This change impacted Presidents Obama and G.W. Bush, as well as all future presidents.<ref>{{cite news|last=Compton|first=Ann|date=January 10, 2013|title=Lifetime Secret Service Protection Restored for Presidents Bush and Obama|publisher=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/01/lifetime-secret-service-protection-restored-for-presidents-bush-and-obama/|url-status=live|access-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925231451/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/01/lifetime-secret-service-protection-restored-for-presidents-bush-and-obama/|archive-date=September 25, 2013}}</ref>

Protection of government officials is not solely the responsibility of the Secret Service, with many other agencies, such as the [[United States Capitol Police]], [[Supreme Court Police]] and [[Diplomatic Security Service]], providing personal protective services to domestic and foreign officials. However, while these agencies are nominally responsible for services to other officers of the United States and senior dignitaries, the Secret Service provides protective services at the highest-level – i.e. for heads of state and heads of government.

The Secret Service's other primary mission is investigative; to protect the payment and financial systems of the United States from a wide range of financial and electronic-based crimes including counterfeit U.S. currency, bank and financial institution fraud, illicit financing operations, cybercrime, identity theft, intellectual property crimes, and any other violations that may affect the United States economy and financial systems. The agency's key focus is on large, high-dollar economic impact cases involving organized criminal groups. Financial criminals include embezzling bank employees, armed robbers at automatic teller machines, heroin traffickers, and criminal organizations that commit bank fraud on a global scale.

The USSS plays a leading role in facilitating relationships between other law enforcement entities, the private sector, and academia. The service maintains the Electronic Crimes Task Forces, which focus on identifying and locating international cyber criminals connected to cyber intrusions, bank fraud, data breaches, and other computer-related crimes. Additionally, the Secret Service runs the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), which provides law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges with cyber training and information to combat cybercrime.

In the face of budget pressure, hiring challenges and some high-profile lapses in its protective service role in 2014, the [[Brookings Institution]] and some members of Congress are asking whether the agency's focus should shift more to the protective mission, leaving more of its original mission to other agencies.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Secret Service: What's next for the new director |newspaper=Brookings Institution|url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2015/02/28/the-secret-service-whats-next-for-the-new-director/|url-status=live|access-date=October 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027055908/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2015/02/28/the-secret-service-whats-next-for-the-new-director/|archive-date=October 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Secret Service Recruitment Campaign Amps Up|url=http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/10/26/secret-service-recruitment|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027055919/http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/10/26/secret-service-recruitment|archive-date=October 27, 2016|access-date=October 26, 2016|website=wbur.org|date=October 26, 2016 }}</ref>