Where I Stand — Joseph Saitta: To protect and save

Friday, Aug. 25, 2000 | 10:20 a.m.

Editor's note: In August Where I Stand is written by guest columnists. Today's guest, Joseph Saitta, is special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service's Las Vegas field office.

IT'S PRESIDENTIAL campaign time once again. Every four years the U.S. Secret Service, in addition to its normal protection and criminal investigation duties, is tasked with the protection of presidential candidates.

Although the Secret Service was established in 1865 to combat counterfeiting, it wasn't until 1901, after President William McKinley was assassinated, that the Secret Service became responsible for the protection of the president of the United States. This resulted from the fact that America had lost three presidents to assassins during a 37-year-period. In 1968, after the assassination of Robert Kennedy, the Secret Service was given the job of protecting presidential candidates.

Not many people know that the Secret Service currently protects 16 individuals: President Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Chelsea, Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore, former presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and their spouses, as well as Lady Bird Johnson. We also protect the secretary of the treasury and the national security advisor.

Once President Clinton leaves office he will be the last president to be protected for life. Legislation was passed recently that states presidents who are elected after 1996 would receive protection for 10 years after they leave office.

Although there are some details I cannot discuss, I can pass on some "behind the scenes" efforts that go into protection.

We strive to create a secure environment for each protectee, both in public and private settings. But practically everything about American society is in conflict with this goal -- especially every four years during presidential campaigns. We expect our politicians to be visible and accessible, to visit the most exposed areas imaginable: malls, factories and parks. We want to get close enough to touch them. Most politicians want this personal contact, too.

So the Secret Service has to find a way to provide protection and still accommodate the protectees' desires. We must do our job without infringing on the rights of the public.

If you have watched someone we protect on television you already know that there are a few agents physically surrounding that person. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many others in a variety of positions playing key roles in this effort.

There are also limits to protection. The person we protect and their staff defines these. Most of the time we cannot force a protectee to do -- or not do -- anything regarding security. We serve in an advisory capacity.

We try to limit exposure in high-risk situations. Sometimes they follow our advice, sometimes they don't. So how can we keep them safe?

We begin with meticulous planning. We send an advance team of agents to the site to be visited. They prepare a "survey" of the location to determine manpower and equipment needed; they select hospitals and evacuation routes for emergencies and coordinate our needs with other agencies.

Intelligence information will be analyzed concerning groups or individuals in the area who might pose a threat. The information is a very important element of our protection program, because knowing beforehand that a dangerous person or group is present, or even that dangerous circumstances exist, gives us time to prepare and it denies possible assassins of their most fundamental advantage -- the element of surprise.

After areas are checked for hazardous materials and physically secured, checkpoints are established and access to the secured area is limited. People attending events are often screened by magnetometers for dangerous devices and weapons.

When the protectee arrives, agents accompany him from his detail, who will function as a physical barrier against attack. You may recall when John Hinckley attacked President Reagan, one of our agents turned to put his own body between the gunman and the president and was wounded by a bullet meant for the president. That kind of response does not occur by chance, it comes from many years of intense and extensive training to overcome the most basic human reaction: to save themselves first in a life-or death situation.

There is one last factor and that is the vast support we need and receive from other people and other law enforcement agencies. It would be an impossible task for us without the state and local police, fire and rescue, hospitals, hotel and airport employees and the military to name a few. Protection takes an enormous commitment from many people -- including the patience and understanding of the general public.