Protecting the President: An Inside Account of the Troubled Secret Service in an Era of Evolving Threats

Summary

Being a Secret Service agent is one of the most treacherous jobs in the world and never more so than in today's highly polarized America. Facing threats from fence jumpers and manifesto writers, and from murderous terrorists and sophisticated spies, protecting the president is harder than ever. In an age of hyper-partisan politics, emotions are high and threats are everywhere. On top of that, with international tensions reaching a boiling point, it's harder than ever to determine friend from foe.

Yet the President of the United States is in very real danger if the Secret Service doesn't change course soon and evolve with the rapidly changing threat environment. Not only is the agency facing scandals from within, low morale, and an ever-present media looking to capitalize on the slightest misstep, the agency also has to contend with highly motivated bad guys who are already working on technologically advanced methodologies and are constantly striving to formulate the logistics of an attack on the White House. Eventually terrorist planners will find a way to acquire the technology, weapons, explosives, and know-how to make an attempt on the life of the President. The only question is What are we going to do about it?