STATEMENT OF W. RALPH BASHAM
Director, United States Secret Service
Before the Committee on the Judiciary
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
U.S. House of Representatives
February 3, 2004
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank you, as well as the distinguished Ranking Member, Mr. Scott, and the other members of the subcommittee for providing an opportunity to discuss the law enforcement activities of the Secret Service, and our role in the Department of Homeland Security.
The Secret Service was created in 1865 to stem the rampant flow of counterfeit currency in post-Civil War America. Since that time, the Secret Service has been the preeminent federal agency for safeguarding our financial infrastructure.
In 1901, we were assigned our historic mission to protect the President. And while for more than a century the Secret Service has maintained its dual missions of investigations and protection, those missions have become fully interdependent and completely inseparable.
Today, the Secret Service’s responsibilities reach far beyond counterfeiting and Presidential protection. Our criminal jurisdiction includes access device (credit and debit card) fraud, cyber crime, identity theft, false identification fraud, bank fraud, telecommunications fraud, and other financial crimes.
The Secret Service protects our nation’s highest elected leaders, including their families and residences, as well as visiting foreign leaders and foreign missions. We also coordinate security operations at National Special Security Events, which this year will include the two national political conventions and the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia.
Just over one year ago, the Secret Service testified before this subcommittee in full support of the Administration’s proposal to transfer our agency to the new Department of Homeland Security. We did so because of our strong conviction that the protective and investigative missions of the Secret Service were central to the mission of homeland security. We saw an opportunity for our personnel, with their unique experience and expertise, to make a vital and meaningful contribution to our common goal of protecting this nation.
One year later, I am enormously proud of the contributions that the 6,100 men and women of the Secret Service have made to the mission of homeland security. Our special agents, Uniformed Division officers, technical and professional staff have endeavored each and every day to protect our elected leaders and critical and financial infrastructures, and make a safer America.
Our efforts to support the new Department have been many. But there are two in particular that I would like to highlight for the subcommittee.
First is our historic emphasis on prevention that we have brought with us to DHS. For 138 years, prevention has been the bedrock principle of the Secret Service. It began with our efforts to stem the flow of counterfeit currency -- to attack the problem when it was in production, not distribution.
It was continued with our protective mission, where we utilize threat assessments, intelligence and meticulous advance work to provide a safe and secure environment for our protectees. Prevention is also the central theme today of our groundbreaking efforts to shield our critical and financial infrastructures from intrusion and compromise.
From day one, Secretary Ridge and DHS have recognized the importance of prevention. Indeed, virtually all aspects of the Department are committed to preventing further terrorist attacks on American soil.
The Secret Service is fully integrated with the many components of DHS, and we continue to share our preventative expertise with these entities, from infrastructure protection and information analysis, to emergency preparedness and others.
Secondly, our agency brings another unique strength to the Department; namely, our experience with building partnerships and sharing information with our counterparts in other law enforcement agencies and the private sector.
Throughout our 150 field offices across the country and around the globe, our field personnel have developed productive and trusted partnerships with local police, prosecutors, academia and industry representatives in their communities.
These partnerships are vital to the success of both our protective and investigative missions. We recognize that without cooperation and support from our local law enforcement partners, we could not have a successful visit to a given community by one of our protectees. We also could not successfully prevent and detect electronic crimes and cyber attacks without the assistance, resources and expertise of our partners in law enforcement and the private sector.
Such communication and cooperation is imperative to homeland security, and I am convinced that the blueprint we have developed over the course of many decades of experience is a success story that will further strengthen and contribute to the success of the Department.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to report to the subcommittee the status of our Electronic Crime Task Force initiative. As you will recall, the USA/PATRIOT Act of 2001 included language, thanks to the support of this committee and others, authorizing the Secret Service to expand our highly successful New York Electronic Crime Task Force to other cities and regions across the country.
These task forces have revolutionalized the government’s response to computer crime, and serve as models for how law enforcement must operate in the Information Age.
The composition and efforts of these task forces are tailored to the needs of their individual communities. They represent the cutting edge of our efforts to partner with federal, state and local police departments, prosecutors at all levels, private industry and academia to safeguard our critical and financial infrastructures, and protect American consumers and industry alike. Their training and investigative techniques are innovative and unprecedented. Most importantly, these task forces are making a meaningful difference in the communities they serve.
Last year, the Secret Service launched electronic crime task forces in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Charlotte, Boston, Las Vegas, Miami and Washington, D.C. Just last month, we announced new task forces in Cleveland, Houston, Dallas and Columbia, South Carolina. Additional task forces are on the drawing boards.
Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the men and women of the Secret Service, we stand ready to continue our mission of protecting our leaders, our financial and critical infrastructures, and the American people. Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before the subcommittee.
This concludes my prepared statement. I will be pleased to answer any questions you or the other members of the subcommittee may have.
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