Hyderabad: The United States Secret Service founded in 1865 is unarguably one of the oldest US investigative agencies in the world. For more than a hundred years, it has been protecting the President of the United States round the clock.
The agency has approximately 3,200 special agents and 1,300 uniformed officers who guard the White House, the Treasury building and foreign diplomatic missions in Washington.
A branch of the Secret Service – the Presidential Protective Division – is responsible for guarding the lives of the President and his family.
Before the scheduled visit of US president, multiple security departments send scores of agents to protect the traveling official, and the Secret Service often visits cities months ahead of time to nail down logistics.
Secret Service agents take the lead on travel logistics, often arriving months beforehand to clear the airspace, map out a motorcade route, identify hospitals and other secure locations in case of an attack.
Once the trip begins, security agents are with the subject every step of the way.
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During presidential travel, the restriction "inner ring" is approximately 10 miles, in which other aircraft cannot fly below 18,000 feet or land at any airports. Aircraft can fly through, but not loiter in the "outer rings" which span approximately 30 miles.
The subject is then led to a motorcade that usually includes around 20 vehicles, which freely cruise down closed highways to save time and safety concerns.
Local law enforcement provides another layer for the motorcade on the way to the official's first destination, and any locations after that.
The Secret Service's counter-assault team is the most heavily equipped layer of the motorcade and ride alongside other forces behind the car carrying the administration member.
The counter-assault team not only scans the perimeter for potential threats but is also poised with combat vests and massive rifles to "lay down an unbelievable amount of suppressive fire" in the event of an attack on the motorcade.
Secret Service's agents keep a perimeter around the president at all times, sometimes with local police providing an extra layer during public appearances.
