| |
BEGINNINGS |
| 1865 |
The Secret Service Division began on July 5, 1865 in Washington, D.C., to suppress counterfeit currency. Chief William P. Wood was sworn in by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch. |
| 1867 |
Secret Service responsibilities were broadened to include "detecting persons perpetrating frauds against the government." This appropriation resulted in investigations into the Ku Klux Klan, non-conforming distillers, smugglers, mail robbers, land frauds, and a number of other infractions against the federal laws. |
| 1870 |
Secret Service headquarters relocated to New York City. |
| 1874 |
Secret Service headquarters returned to Washington, D.C. |
| 1875 |
The first commission book and a new badge were issued to operatives. |
| 1877 |
Congress passed an Act prohibiting the counterfeiting of any coin, gold or silver bar. |
| 1883 |
Secret Service was officially acknowledged as a distinct organization within the Treasury Department. |
| 1894 |
The Secret Service began informal part-time protection of President Cleveland. |
| 1895 |
Congress passed corrective legislation for the counterfeiting or possession of counterfeit stamps. |
| 1901 |
Congress informally requested Secret Service Presidential protection following the assassination of President William McKinley. |
| 1902 |
The Secret Service assumed full-time responsibility for protection of the President. Two operatives were assigned full time to the White House Detail. |
| 1906 |
Congress passed Sundry Civil Expenses Act for 1907 that provided funds for Presidential protection by the Secret Service.
Secret Service operatives began to investigate the western land frauds. The Service's investigations returned millions of acres of land to the government. Operative Joseph A. Walker was murdered on November 3, 1907, while working on one of these cases. He was the first operative killed in the line of duty. |
| 1908 |
Secret Service began protecting the President-elect. Also, President Roosevelt transferred eight Secret Service agents to the Department of Justice. They formed the nucleus of what is now the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). |
| |
EXPANSION |
| 1913 |
Congress authorized permanent protection of the President and the statutory authorization for President-elect protection. |
| 1915 |
President Wilson directed the Secretary of the Treasury to have the Secret Service investigate espionage in the United States. |
| 1917 |
Congress authorized permanent protection of the President's immediate family and made "threats" directed toward the President a federal violation. |
| 1922 |
White House Police Force created on October 1, 1922, at the request of President Harding. |
| 1930 |
White House Police were placed under the supervision of the Secret Service. |
| 1950 |
Officer Leslie Coffelt, White House Police, was shot and killed by Puerto Rican nationalists while protecting President Truman at the Blair House on November 1, 1950. |
| 1951 |
Triggered by the attack on Truman, Congress enacted legislation that permanently authorized Secret Service protection of the President, his immediate family, the President-elect, and the Vice President, if he wishes. (Public Law - 82-79). |
| 1961 |
Congress authorized protection of former Presidents for a reasonable period of time. |
| 1962 |
Congress expanded coverage to include the Vice President (or the next officer to succeed the President) and the Vice President-elect. (Public Law 87-829). |
| 1963 |
Congress passed legislation for protection of Mrs. John F. Kennedy and her minor children for 2 years. (Public Law 83-195). |
| 1965 |
Congress authorized protection of former Presidents and their spouses during their lifetime and minor children until age 16. |
| 1968 |
As a result of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, Congress authorized protection of major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and nominees. (Public Law 90-331). Congress also authorized protection of widows of Presidents until death, or remarriage, and their children until age 16. |
| 1970 |
White House Police Force renamed the Executive Protective Service and increased its responsibilities to include the protection of diplomatic missions in the Washington, D.C., area. (Public Law 91-217). |
| 1971 |
Congress authorized Secret Service protection for visiting heads of a foreign state or government, or other official guests, as directed. |
| 1975 |
The duties of Executive Protective Service were expanded to include protection of foreign diplomatic missions located throughout the United States and its territories. |
| 1977 |
The Executive Protective Service was officially renamed the Secret Service Uniformed Division on November 15, 1977. |
| 1984 |
Congress enacted legislation making the fraudulent use of credit and debit cards a federal violation. The law also authorized the Secret Service to investigate violations relating to credit and debit card fraud, federal-interest computer fraud, and fraudulent identification documents. |
| 1986 |
Treasury Police Force merged into the Secret Service Uniformed Division on October 5, 1986.
A Presidential directive authorized protection of the accompanying spouse of the head of a foreign state or government. |
| 1990 |
The Secret Service received concurrent jurisdiction with Department of Justice law enforcement personnel to conduct any kind of investigation, civil or criminal, related to federally insured financial institutions. |
| 1994 |
The passage of the 1994 Crime Bill Public Law 103-322, in part, revised Title 18 USC Section 470, providing that any person manufacturing, trafficking in, or possessing counterfeit U.S. currency abroad may be prosecuted as if the act occurred within the United States. |
| |
TODAY |
| 1997 |
Congress passed legislation in 1994 stating that Presidents elected to office after January 1, 1997, will receive Secret Service protection for 10 years after leaving office. Individuals elected to office prior to January 1, 1997, will continue to receive lifetime protection. (Public Law 103-329) |
| 1998 |
Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Act (Public Law105-184) allowed for criminal forfeiture of fraud proceeds for convictions of 18 USC sections 1028, 1029, 1341, or 1344, or of a conspiracy to commit such an offense, if the offense involved telemarketing.
The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (Public Law 105-318) amends 18 USC section 1028 to establish the offense of "Identity Theft." Penalties were established for anyone who knowingly transfers or uses, without authority, any means of identification of another person, with the intent to commit an unlawful activity that is a violation of the identity theft provisions of section 1028. |
| 2000 |
Presidential Threat Protection Act (Public Law 106-544) is passed, which in part, authorizes the Secret Service to participate in the planning, coordination, and implementation of security operations at special events of national significance ("National Special Security Event"), as determined by the President. |
| 2001 |
The Patriot Act (Public Law 107-56) increases the Secret Service's role in investigating fraud and related activity in connections with computers. In addition it authorizes the Director of the Secret Service to establish nationwide electronic crimes taskforces to assist the law enforcement, private sector and academia in detecting and suppressing computer-based crime; increases the statutory penalties for the manufacturing, possession, dealing and passing of counterfeit U.S. or foreign obligations; and allows enforcement action to be taken to protect our financial payment systems while combating transnational financial crimes directed by terrorists or other criminals. |
| 2002 |
The Department of Homeland Security is established with the passage of (Public Law 107-296) which in part, transfers the United States Secret Service from the Department of the Treasury, to the new department effective March 1, 2003. |
