Insufficient Snipers: The Secret Service Lacks 73% of Its Required Count
The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general launched an investigation into the Secret Service following its failures during the attempted assassination of President Trump last year. The investigation has highlighted a chronic issue within the Secret Service: understaffing for counter snipers.
In fiscal year 2024, the Secret Service served 344 protectees and provided security at over 5,000 events. However, the agency's hiring plans for counter snipers remain ineffective, leaving a significant gap in its security measures.
To fill these gaps, the Secret Service has relied on snipers from other DHS components and has clocked 60,000 hours of overtime per year. Despite these efforts, the agency currently requires 73% more counter snipers than it has on staff, a disparity that has worsened since 2022.
The number of events requiring snipers has increased by 150% from 2020 to 2024, but the number of snipers on staff has only increased by 5%. Consequently, 11% of counter snipers who staffed events in 2024 did so without attending requalification sessions, potentially compromising safety.
Failure to ensure appropriate staffing and training for counter snipers could result in injuries or even the assassination of senior leaders. In response, the Secret Service has announced plans to boost its oversight of requalification compliance and develop a hiring plan to enable the agency to fill its needs.
The Secret Service has also updated its staffing model and tweaked some hiring processes, but these changes have not yet resolved the issue. In an attempt to address the counter sniper staffing issue, the Secret Service will explore recruiting from ex-military and other law enforcement agencies.
The Secret Service will also reassess whether the 18-month service period is a necessary prerequisite for joining the counter sniper team. The new hiring process for snipers in 2024 allowed for external candidates to apply directly to the roles, but only yielded five candidates.
However, the total number of Secret Service snipers and the number the agency requires were redacted in the IG's report. Despite this, it is clear that the Secret Service faces a significant challenge in meeting its counter sniper staffing needs, particularly as it prepares for the 2028 presidential election cycle and beyond.
The counter sniper team needs to hire and train substantially more counter snipers to meet growing operational demands and ensure the safety of the protectees and events it serves. The Secret Service's ongoing efforts to address this issue are crucial to maintaining the security of the United States.
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