Safeguarding Places
We ensure the security of key facilities in support of our total protective mission, including locations where the nation's highest elected leaders live and work, as well as the foreign diplomatic missions around Washington, D.C.
Standing Post
The places we protect include the White House and grounds; any building in which Presidential offices are located; the Treasury Building and grounds; the residence and grounds of the Vice President and foreign diplomatic missions located within the proximity of the District of Columbia and Maryland; and any event designated as a National Special Security Event.
Uniformed Division
Our Uniformed Division members are instrumental in our mission to safeguard key locations, and are primarily assigned to one of four distinct protective operation branches: White House Branch, Foreign Missions Branch, Vice President Residence and the Special Operations Branch. They accomplish their mission via police cruiser, motorcycle, bicycle, foot patrols, tactical and other law enforcement practices.
The Uniformed Division officers assigned to the White House Branch provide protection and law enforcement functions for the White House, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, New Executive Office Building, the Treasury Building and grounds to include the Treasury Annex, and other Presidential offices located in the immediate area. Additionally, the White House Branch provides protection for visiting heads of state whom temporarily reside at the Blair House.
The Uniformed Division officers assigned to the Foreign Missions Branch protect more than 500 foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington Metropolitan Area. They respond to complaints and calls for assistance primarily from foreign embassy personnel, but assist the general public as well. Officers also handle demonstrations at diplomatic locations, assist in motorcade movements, man fixed protective posts, investigate and process crime scenes, and consult with diplomatic officials regarding protection and law enforcement matters related to their embassies, chanceries and personnel. This branch contains the Crime Scene Search Unit and Motorcade Support Unit.
The Special Operations Division comprises four Uniformed Division mission areas: Canine, Counter Sniper, Emergency Response and Magnetometer Support teams.
The mission of our Canine team is to provide a safe and secure environment for individuals and locations protected by the U.S. Secret Service. This coverage includes security sweeps, bomb threats, suspicious packages, vehicles, and material examinations. The canine team provides this coverage on a twenty-four hour basis, seven days a week, in support of the White House complex, Foreign Missions operations, and the Vice President's Residence. Our canine team also travels in support of the U.S. Secret Service Protective Details worldwide and support other local law enforcement agencies' requests on a case by case basis.
Our Counter Sniper team is composed of highly qualified marksmen responsible for protecting an area in which the protectee is located from a long range single threat or a coordinated assault. They are responsible for providing long range observation and real-time intelligence to protective details and other law enforcement personnel.
Our Emergency Response team provides the White House and other authorized locations with advanced tactical response when necessary. Technicians are responsible for conducting security sweeps of the grounds, responding and neutralizing threats by both organized groups and individuals. The Emergency Response team is currently augmented with a canine team to assist in conducting sweeps and responding to penetrations to assist in suspect apprehension.
Uniformed Division officers also provide magnetometer coverage for all protective sites. They provide support for the president, vice president, former presidents, presidential candidates and visiting heads of state. In addition, magnetometers are utilized at all National Special Security Events. It is the responsibility of all Uniformed Division officers to deter and detect weapons at any site that may be deemed a threat. This is achieved by the use of walk-through metal detectors, hand held metal detectors, x-ray machines, explosive trace detectors and searches of hand carried items.
The members of this unit support our investigative and protective mission through specialized training in multiple types of evidence gathering and recovery. These technicians are trained to process crime scenes, conduct gunshot residue tests, examine handwriting samples, restore serial numbers on weapons and to perform shoe, tire and tool mark impressions. In addition, they can determine ballistic trajectory, blood splatter and have the ability to lift and develop latent fingerprints.