Interesting Facts About US Secret Service

The United Nations Secret Service (USSS), popularly known as Secret Service, is a government agency that works under the Department of Homeland Security. The main purpose is to protect the nation’s highest elected leaders and investigate the crimes against the financial infrastructure of the United States. You could easily identify Secret Service agents by their suits, glasses, and earpiece. Read on to discover more facts about US secret service.

Top 10 Facts About Us Secret Service

Here are some of the most interesting facts about the US Secret Service. 

1. The president and vice-president have no power to decline the Secret Service protection. However, their children and spouses can.
2. The US Secret Service travels with a bag of the president’s blood type, similar to the president’s. They are also not more than 10 minutes from the trauma center and must be ready for all scenarios.
3. More than 7000 Secret Service agents are employed. However, only a few are assigned to the Presidential Protection Division (PPD). About 3,500 special agents and 1,500 uniform officers guard the president, White House, and other selected government officials.
4. The Secret Service was officially established on July 5, 1865. It was created to combat the counterfeiting of US currency. The Secret Service was tasked with protecting the president only after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901.
5. 37 agents have died on duty or while protecting the US president. 
6. The Secret Service films the president in case of an attack. 
7. There is no food taster for the president, but the Secret Service supervises all the food eaten by the president.
8. Why do the Secret Service agents wear sunglasses? They wear sunglasses to scan the crowd but mainly to protect their eyes from the sun so that it can increase the ability to see.
9. They use code names for the US presidents, first ladies, and places. The codes are mainly for security purposes. Bill Clinton was called an eagle, and Hillary Clinton was called Evergreen.
10. Here is one of the Secret Service facts you probably didn’t know. The Secret Service will be present in some major events like the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl, even in the president’s absence, to prevent terrorist attacks.