Why is the secret service in charge of counterfeit currency investigations?

Question

Their primary responsibility is protecting the president. How did they get in charge of counterfeit investigations?

Answer 1

The Secret Service’s primary mission is NOT to protect the president. Its TWO responsibilities are protection AND investigations. The agency was created as the law enforcement/criminal investigative arm of the Treasury Department and continues to investigate a number of crimes related to that authority. The protection mission came later. However, the agency is no longer a part of the Treasury Department. It was transferred in whole to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.

The dual missions allow the agency to develop agents for permanent assignments to protection details and to provide a surge capacity in times of crisis… while maintaining a criminal investigator orientation of agents. It seems to work pretty well.

Answer 2

The Secret Service was created on July 5, 1865 in Washington, D.C., to suppress counterfeit currency.

It was originally created to combat the counterfeiting of U.S. currency - a serious problem at the time. In fact, following the Civil War, it was estimated that one-third to one-half of the currency in circulation was counterfeit.

The Secret Service was officially acknowledged as a distinct organization within the Treasury Department, as of 1883.

See more at:

http://www.secretservice.gov/faq.shtml

Answer 3

Actually, counterfeiting investigations is their primary responsibility, and presidential protection is kind of an add-on. When it was decided that there was a need for a protection detail for the president, there weren't many federal law enforcement agencies in existence -- the FBI didn't even exist yet. So, they added it on to the Secret Service's job.

Answer 4

Wrong. They are U.S. Treasury agents. The presidential detail is only a small part of the enforcement branch of the Treasury. Within the Secret Service, you also have the Uniformed Division, the Presidentail Detail, and those field agents who investigate crimes which the Treasury Depr has jurisdiction.

Other Law enforcement agencies within the U. S. Treasury include the Alchohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Division. U.S. Customs use to be within the Treasury Dept, but it is now part of Homeland Security, along with Immigation, and Border Patrol. They call themselves ICE, Immigration Customs Enforcement.

Answer 5

Secret service first formed 7/5/1865 to stop and prevent counterfeit money is a division of the Treasury Department.

The roll of protecting the president did not occur until the execution of president McKinley.

Answer 6

The secret services responsibilitys are many and diverse, but protecting the president isn't all they do. The secret service has been tasked with safe guarding the integrity of U.S. currency since it's inception. A city police officers priority is to enforce criminal and traffic laws, but are often tasked with checking on water main breaks and welfare checks. Check with the secret services website for more informaition.

Answer 7

The Secret Service is a branch of the Treasury Department, not the other way around.

Answer 8

You are wrong about their primary responsibility. Their primary responsibility is dealing with counterfeit money and things that go along with it. Guarding the president is a prestigious detail that not all secret service will get to do in their carreers. Hope this helps

Answer 9

Actually, it is beacuse the Secret Service is a division of the Department of The Tresury, thus counterfiting is a crime against the Tresury and must be investigated by a section there-in.

Answer 10

Easy. The secret service is part of the Treasury Department. So Anything involving money is actually their primary duty although they get more notoriety from protecting the President and Dignitaries.