Special Agent. The Secret Service DOES NOT determine who qualifies for protection, nor is the Secret Service empowered to independently initiate candidate protection. April 6, 2017. After September 11, 2001, the Secret Service took on new responsibilities, overseeing security at non-political events that could be targets for terrorists, like the Super Bowl. Despite the name, the United States Secret Service isn’t all that secret. I once tried to research a detail concerning a scenario taking place on the Presidential yacht during the Roosevelt Administration. BY Jake Rossen. Under 18 U.S.C.' Getty. 14 Secrets of Secret Service Agents. On the day he was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth, Abraham … The President in question had been dead for more than 60 years. The number of secret service agents a president has is generally not made public, to assure his safety. The job of special agent offers qualified men and women a challenging and fulfilling career. 3056(a)(7), "[m]ajor Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates," as identified by the Secretary of Homeland Security, are eligible for Secret Service protection. The U.S. Secret Service recruits personnel of the highest caliber to carry out its integrated missions of investigation and protection.