Inside the US Secret Service

The United States Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and visiting heads of state or government.
The origin of the Secret Service dates back to 1865. It was founded as a branch of the US Treasure Department and originally created to combat the counterfeiting of US currency, a serious problem at the time.
Nowadays, the agency is unique among federal law enforcement agencies because not do its agents provide protection for the President and Vice President of the US and their families, they also provide for presidential candidates, visiting heads of state, and many more.
Getting a job with the service is far from easy. The selection process is extremely competitive and candidates must have a college degree or a combination of college and law enforcement work experience with a background in criminal investigation. They also must be US citizens, older than 21, and qualify for the GL-07 level or the GL-09 level.
The agency employs approximately 3,200 special agents of which more than 1,300 are uniformed division officers, and more than 2,000 are technical and administrative support personnel.