Secret Service Celebrates 100 Years of Uniformed Division

Today the U.S. Secret Service celebrates 100 years of the Uniformed Division (UD). On September 14, 1922, President Warren G. Harding created the White House Police Force as a vital effort to safeguard the White House and elected officials inside its walls. 

In 1930, the White House Police and the U.S. Secret Service joined forces under the direction of President Herbert Hoover. Since 1930, the Secret Service has facilitated seamless physical security surrounding the nation’s highest elected officials and the White House. In 1970, protecting foreign diplomatic missions was added to the force’s responsibilities, and the name was changed to the Executive Protective Service.  The name United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was adopted in 1977.

“We are a dynamic Force and the range of our responsibilities has evolved to meet the challenges of a complex and shifting threat landscape.  Protecting the many foreign missions and embassies based in Washington, DC, is a prime example of that evolution,” said Uniformed Division Chief Alfonso Dyson. “Our initial mandate to guard the buildings that compose the White House Complex itself did not envision the need to police the city streets, busy neighborhoods or residential communities around the White House and throughout the city.”

The Uniformed Division has evolved into a diverse team of highly trained professionals who protect and patrol locations in the nation’s capital and travel across the world to secure facilities and venues for U.S. Secret Service protectees. There are also several special operations teams operated by the Uniformed Division, including the Emergency Response Team, Explosive Detection Canines, Personal Screening Canine – Open Area Team, counter Sniper Team, Crime Scene Search Unit, Trek Team, Motorcade Support Unit, Magnetometer Support Team and Patrol Unit. 

“Behind the shield of every Uniformed Division officer is a highly trained public servant dedicated to honoring the oath we all swore the day we were commissioned.  We are forged, women and men, as links in an unbroken chain of law enforcement excellence that is as vital today as it was a century ago,” said U.S. Secret Service Deputy Director Faron Paramore.     

Learn more about the Secret Service Uniformed Division.