Posted on May 17, 2021
Some Agents Fear Underfunded And Overworked Secret Service 'Relying On Luck'
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Every time the president of the United States travels, he's accompanied by a cadre of Secret Service agents. Sometimes seen wearing crisp suits, sunglasses and ear pieces, the agents charged with protecting the president present a striking visual.
But Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post investigative reporter Carol Leonnig says the Secret Service itself is something of a mess.
In her new book, Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service, Leonnig charts the agency's "chronic, ridiculously large mission," which includes protecting U.S. political leaders and their family members as well as visiting heads of state. The Secret Service is also charged with investigating financial crimes, such as counterfeit money.
Leonnig says the mission is made all the more challenging by the fact that the Secret Service is understaffed, underfunded and often working with outdated technology and inadequate training.
But Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post investigative reporter Carol Leonnig says the Secret Service itself is something of a mess.
In her new book, Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service, Leonnig charts the agency's "chronic, ridiculously large mission," which includes protecting U.S. political leaders and their family members as well as visiting heads of state. The Secret Service is also charged with investigating financial crimes, such as counterfeit money.
Leonnig says the mission is made all the more challenging by the fact that the Secret Service is understaffed, underfunded and often working with outdated technology and inadequate training.
Some Agents Fear Underfunded And Overworked Secret Service 'Relying On Luck'
Posted from npr.org
U.S. Secret Service
Money
Budget
Training
Posted 3 y ago
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they are the only LE agency that has to be 100% correct 100% of the time. without adequate funding and manpower, that will not happen
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
"Things were so bad in very recent years that agents were showing up to pick up a Cabinet member in their own personal car because the Secret Service's fleet was too expensive to maintain," Leonnig says.
There have also been embarrassing lapses. In March 2017, an intruder scaled the fence surrounding the White House and wandered the grounds, undetected, for 17 minutes. Leonnig says the breach highlighted a systemwide failure.
"The sensors, the cameras, the alarms [and] the radios didn't work," she says. "This is supposed to be the most secure 18 acres in the world, and they just didn't have the money to fix those things."
"Things were so bad in very recent years that agents were showing up to pick up a Cabinet member in their own personal car because the Secret Service's fleet was too expensive to maintain," Leonnig says.
There have also been embarrassing lapses. In March 2017, an intruder scaled the fence surrounding the White House and wandered the grounds, undetected, for 17 minutes. Leonnig says the breach highlighted a systemwide failure.
"The sensors, the cameras, the alarms [and] the radios didn't work," she says. "This is supposed to be the most secure 18 acres in the world, and they just didn't have the money to fix those things."
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