To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent

by Henry M. Holden

The Secret Service was established after the Civil War by the Treasury Department, originally to protect American currency against counterfeiters. After the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901, Congress directed the Secret Service to protect the President of the United States. Protection remains the primary mission of the United States Secret Service. It takes a special type of individual to be a U.S. Secret Service agent, one willing to "take a bullet" to preserve the ideals on which the United States was founded. To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent lifts the curtain for a look inside this secretive law enforcement agency, including the highly selective recruiting, the intense training, and the specialized weapons and equipment used to protect current and past Presidents, Vice Presidents, their families, and visiting heads of state.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Neil Blakey-Milner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was an Amazon Kindle Daily Deal, and ended up rather enjoyed reading it. It is dry most of the time, focused on facts, procedures, and events that happened mostly in an impersonal way, although it has some fairly candid photographs of training and other activities taken by the author (and other illustrative photographs from other sources).

That presentation also conveyed a lot of useful information (albeit somewhat repeated, probably especially in the Kindle Edition). It is the sort of book to read to understand the Secret Service's history, big events that shaped it, what its responsibilities are, how their operatives are hired and trained, and the divisions and teams within it and what they do.

It strikes me as the book I'd return to if I were wanting to make up a character who is in the Secret Service - the sorts of backgrounds the operatives have, the trials and training, and the different duties they may have had over some time there.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A general description of the US Secret Service that along with the duties, training, and application requirements. With numerous pictures it shows that the Secret Service does not just guard the president and others, but performs other major functions. A good introduction to the organization for young people.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book gives facts, and details on what it takes to be a Secret Service Agent or a Uniformed Division Officer. Provides insight as far how to apply to positions, the hiring process, the duties of each position, and examples of past work scenarios.

Great Book!

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Not as interesting as Air Force One (by Von Hardesty) but probably more helpful in terms of research for my story. I got this one off Ebay to keep as reference.