Are Special Agents Receiving Effective Training to Protect the President of the United States?Examining the Effectiveness of Secret Service TrainingSummarySecret Service Special Agents of the United States are charged with the primary responsibility of protecting elected officials. Agents are the backbone of the Secret Service and receive more training than any other law enforcement agency in the United States. The training they receive is unlike any other training they have ever experienced. The Secret Service is the only agency that trains its agents to protect and physically cover the protected person with their own person. Researchers have raised several questions since the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. For example: Does the Secret Service provide effective training to special agents? This study aims to examine Secret Service training, accomplishments, and errors in an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of special agent training. Introduction Since 1901, the Secret Service has provided protection to the President of the United States (Youngblood, 1973). Secret Service special agents are the backbone of the agency; they receive more training than any other law enforcement agency in the United States. Special agents conduct all investigations relating to counterfeiting and fraud and ensure the protection of elected officials. The secret service's mission may seem simple, but it is actually difficult and complex. Through historical documents, behind-the-scenes perspectives, and first-hand accounts, this study exposes the evidence that illustrates the effectiveness of Secret Service training. Application Process Special agent training begins with the application...... middle of paper .... Homeland Security. (January 28, 2010). The 2011 budget in brief. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/budget_bib_fy2011.pdf Holden, G. (2006). Be a Secret Service Agent. St. Paul, MN: MBI.Palm Beach Post. (1975, October 2). Secret Service agents defend Moore decision. Retrieved from http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19751002&id=VdoiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zswFAAAAIBAJ.Reagan, R. (nd). March 30, 1981. Retrieved from http://www.ronaldreagan.com/march30.htmlUnited States Secret Service. (2010). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from http://www.secretservice.gov/faq.shtml.United States Secret Service. (2010). James J. Rowley Training Center. Retrieved from http://www.secretservice.gov/about_rtc.shtml Youngblood, R. (1973). 20 Years in the Secret Service: My Life with Five Presidents. New York: Simon and Schuster.