Government Documents - Department of Homeland Security: Secret Service

The United States Secret Service (USSS) was established in the Department of the Treasury in 1865 as the Secret Service Division. It is responsible for investigating currency counterfeiting and other types of financial fraud, and the Service provides protection to the President, his family, former presidents, presidential candidates, and visiting heads of state. In 2003, it was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security.

Whom does USSS protect? According to the USSS 2017 annual report,

• The President and Vice President, and their immediate families;
• Former presidents, their spouses, and children under 16 years of age;
• Former Vice Presidents, their spouses, and children under 16 years of age, for a period of not more than six months after leaving the White House;
• Visiting heads of foreign states or governments and their spouses;
• Distinguished foreign visitors to the United States;
• Official representatives of the United States performing special missions abroad, as directed by the President;
• Major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, their spouses, and children;
• Other individuals as designated by the President;
• National Special Security Events.

Books about USSS: