What's Inside The Secret Service Headquarters?

writes so much, but you still receive a lot of threatening letters and. - No, I get asked that question more times than you imagine, and

what

I always tell people is that you would be surprised how much writing there is still left. We still see signatures, we still see threatening letters, we still see, if you can think about it, it's probably written down. - Wow. Now, the ink lab is used for more than just identifying ink samples. It also doubles as a state-of-the-art fingerprinting lab. If you think about it, every time you have a handwritten letter, you also have the hand of the person who wrote it.

And unless they're smart enough to wear a glove and be extra careful, chances are their fingerprint will be left on that piece of paper. With those fingerprints, the Secret Service Forensics Department can extract them, and along with the ink samples we just learned about, they can match the fingerprint to a specific culprit. -Very well, I received this letter from David, he did the ink analysis of it. I'm a fingerprint examiner, so I'll look at this letter for fingerprints. And then we take the fingerprints, because it can be some

what

destructive to the ink, so we don't want to inhibit its testing.

So we work in a fume hood because the reagents can be dangerous. So I just pour it out, make sure the document is completely wet, and let the excess drip off. And then I have my test tube rack that we use here as a drying rack. And then we'll let it dry. Fingerprints are kind of small, so we use magnifying glasses so we can see things more easily. So I'm going to look at every part of this card to see and look at this guy right here. - Yes. - So that's a palm print. - You were right. - Because of the size, yes.

How did you know it's big? - Is big. The palms are much larger than the fingers, so it is quite easy to identify. And I suppose it is the palm of the writer, because someone would have used his hand to write these words. - Of course. Now when I think about fingerprint analysis, my immediate thought was something like the FBI and what they do there. Is there any relationship between the two of you or do you do everything independently? - So we work well with all federal agencies, but we would not examine the same evidence, because there could be a conflict there.

So I got this letter, but the FBI is actually the one that houses the federal database. Then I'll look in the fingerprint repository they have. - Well. - So that's the whole aspect in this case. (soft instrumental music) - Now, if you've ever been to Washington, D.C., you've probably spent time in one of the many museums scattered throughout the city. However, the only museum you won't be able to visit is right here at the Secret Service

headquarters

. Open only to Secret Service employees and select guests, this museum contains some incredible artifacts dating from 1865 to the present day. (soft instrumental music) Now this might be the most fascinating thing.

This is a 1941 letter from the Library of Congress sent after the attacks on Pearl Harbor to move things like the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta, and the Gettysburg Address transported from the National Archives here in D.C. for security reasons. Now, as impressive as the

headquarters

building is here in Washington, D.C., it only tells half the story. The other half is located 15 miles northeast in the town of Laurel, Maryland. Comprised of nearly 500 acres of land, six miles of roads, and 31 buildings, this robust training center exists to train Secret Service special agents.

In a single year, hundreds of recruits will receive extensive training in marksmanship, use of force tactics, emergency medical techniques, water survival and event protection, equipping them with everything they need to know to perform their jobs at the highest level. . Alright, now if you're a fan of the channel and interested in military, aerospace and defense, a new podcast has been launched that does a great job of simplifying everything that's going on. It's called "Guns and War," brought to you by Straight Arrow News. It is a weekly program that provides in-depth coverage of military operations and technological developments occurring around the world.

From our nation's frontline defenders to some of the most fascinating stories about military operations, it is entertaining, accurate and was also founded to remain neutral, reporting only the facts, which is definitely a breath of fresh air in the world current. If you are interested in watching the show, you can visit San.com/eckholm, a link I also included in the description below, where you will have access to the latest episodes of the show. And many thanks to Straight Arrow News for supporting the channel and making videos like this possible. (suspense music) - Sam, welcome to the Deal Historical Garage at the Secret Service Rally Training Center in Beltsville, Maryland, where we have historic limousines from President Reagan's administration to the Trump administration. - And these are impressive vehicles.

I think when someone thinks about the Secret Service, this is what they're thinking about. - They are thinking about the officers who drove black limousines and traveled in black suburbs throughout history to this day. - So, with vehicles dating from the 80s, do they still work? Can they be driven today? - The key word is operable, because they are not operational, but they are operable. So when we don't have students training here, the instructors will take them to campus, drive them and make sure the vehicles are operational and driven routinely, and then bring them back here and clean them. . (suspense music) Starting with the 1993 Cadillac that was used in President Clinton's administration.

This is one of three parades that rolled off the manufacturer's assembly line in Detroit, Michigan, where it was cut, stretched and lifted, and then the ballistic material was placed in gun racks. - Yes, it is a beautiful vehicle. I was curious: is this custom made for the Secret Service? Or is this a model they sell to the public, recently modified? Yes. - Custom made, no modifications for the public, obviously not for commercial use. - That would be very kind. - I conducted this with President Clinton here domestically and abroad. - I mean, I'm sure it was a very pleasant trip while you were walking around the city, huh? - It is, you just have to absorb it, right?

Understand where you are and that you are standing, or sitting in this case, next to history. A fun fact here also about seals, presidential seals and flags are only used when the president is in the vehicle in a registered movement. So whenever the president is on an unofficial move, there will be no flags or seals. But then the president is an official movement, when he is in the vehicle and moving, and we will have the flags and the seals on the vehicle. - Yes, it's definitely tight here, but I would say it's a very comfortable ride. - Yes.

You know, President Clinton is between 6'2" and 6'3", and when he had guests here sitting here, and up to three in the jump seats, you can tell just by touching our knees here how tight he could be along for the ride. - I don't know, it's kind of interesting to think about the conversations that were had back here, probably the decisions that were made. I mean, I don't know how much you could hear when you were driving there, but what was that like? - So the good thing is that I have two headphones in my ear, so I don't hear any conversations about what was happening back here.

So all I do is focus on the road and listen to the radio traffic coming through the radios. - It's probably strategic. I bet the president didn't want you to hear everything. - And I'm sure it was strategic. And it's also strategic on our part. (suspense music) Moving on to the 2006 Cadillac that President Bush was riding in, we used one of the vehicles from the '93 parade to develop additional ballistic material, ballistic capabilities with it, and amenities for the president and his guests who were riding in it. - And there are several that were made, right?

There isn't just one, right? How many are there really in this

service

? - Well, they made eight of these, they budgeted eight parade vehicles for here. And we have the last one in circulation right now. (suspenseful music) A couple more unique vehicles we have here in the fleet. One of them is this 1983 Cadillac convertible, follow-up vehicle. And the follow-up vehicle is the vehicle that is used where the president's duty agents travel during the movement of the motorcade. - So the agents are in the back of the caravan, more or less, what?, monitoring the security elements, is that the point? - The agents travel directly behind the limousine - Okay. - in what we call a follow-on vehicle. - So the president never rode in this one? - Well, President Reagan rode in this vehicle on a couple of different occasions.

One at Augusta National Golf Course, October 22, 1983. - And that story is quite interesting, right? There was a kind of hostage situation. - There was a hostage situation and this vehicle crossed the street, loaded President Reagan into the vehicle and moved him off the street to a safe location on the ground. And on the wall we have a photo of the officers who were standing in the stirrups here with their guns drawn and exposed as they moved in and took away President Reagan. - Well, these are really beautiful vehicles. - They are. - I heard we have a couple more waiting outside.

I think these are the ones I'm most excited about. - Absolutely. So let's go out and take a look. - Let's do it. (suspenseful music) (sirens wailing) - Alright, Sam, these are two of the most iconic vehicles we have in the fleet. The Chevy Suburban we used as a follow-up and then the Generation 2 Cadillac used during the Obama and Trump administration. - Yes, these are beautiful. We see them all the time, right, in the media. - Absolutely. -So, starting with this one, what makes it different from a normal Suburban? - So this one has ballistic capabilities.

Our agents on duty, those who guard the president, travel in this vehicle right behind the limousine. - And I guess we kind of turned our attention to this bad boy here, the Beast, right? Why is he called the Beast? - Well, the Beast was coined by the media, we call it a parade limousine. This is a formal limousine that we use for the president. -So what kind of updates were made with this latest edition compared to what we left inside? - So this was built from a sheet of paper. So everything about this was custom manufactured and built, and all the ballistic capabilities and ballistic materials are used in this. - And I've always wondered, do the Secret Service agents who are pushing this ask for it?

Are they simply assigned to each administration? How does that process work? - So the agents on duty are career special agents of the Secret Service. And for parts of their career, they are assigned to the president's detail. They are not assigned to an administration, but they are assigned to the detail. - So what's the training like to get certified to drive this? It must be pretty intense. - There is a five-day advanced course called the Protective Operations Conducting Course. Therefore, any agent who will be driving the President's or Vice President's Limo, Spare Limo, or Trailer must pass our five-day course.

In fact, we have the pad available today if you want to strap yourself in and go for a ride. - I think we have to do it. - Let's do it. - Let's do it. (upbeat music) Sam, what we're going to do here is the track that we put all the students on, whether they're basic students or advanced students going through the protective operations driving course. And we're going to simulate driving through a cone circuit here and we're going to brake a little bit and slide a little bit, and then we're going to simulate high-speed driving, not in the limo, but high-speed driving here. the course. - Is there anything I specifically need to be prepared for? - Not precisely. - Just have a little fun? - Yes, we'll just have fun. - Okay, good. - Are you ready to go? - I'm ready, let's do it.

Oh my God. - I'm going to speed up a little down here. - Oh. - Go towards a cone. - Well. - Move it here. - Oh. Wow, damn. (tires screeching) Oh my God. (upbeat music) - We come back here towards another curve. - Alright. (wheels screeching) - Flip this hook over. And then what we're going to do here is teach you how to do a J-turn. Tactically, we don't do J-turns in our big limos. - Well. - But this is what we do in a kind of J-turn. So I'm going to place it here, we'll back up to a certain point and rotate it. - Wow. (wheels screeching) (upbeat music) - And there we have it. - And there we have it.

Oh my God. - What do you think about it? - I think I might need a second. That was crazy. - Is this something you wantprove? Do you think you are up to the task? - I don't think I can do it anywhere near that, but yeah, let's do it. - I'd love to put you here and let you try it. Let's try. - Let's try. (upbeat music) - Alright, Sam, now you're in the driver's seat. - Am. - Let's see what we can do, let's go to the direction you saw, to the direction I took.

So let's emulate the same course. - Oh. - Oh. (upbeat music) Here we go. - Yes, good. - Move to the right. - I don't know if I've ever driven so fast. - Go to the right. - What clue, this? - Alright. - Yes Yes. Now turn to the end down here. - Well. - Break, break, break, turn, turn, turn. Alright, go around this streamer, so I want you to go around the streamer. - Okay, zigzag? - Yes, do it in a zigzag. - Alright. - All the way through. All the way through. Yes, there you have it.

Now go between the cones. - Well. - Then go left. Now go directly between the cones through the lane changes. Now the lane change, second lane change, third lane. - Oh. - In the tear. Go down to the bottom. Straight line jump. Go around this bend, break, break, break, break, break. There you go, now one, two, three, floor. Alright. - Oh my God. - Oh, are you ready for the J-turn? - You'll have to explain this to me. - Alright. - Well. -Strong fit. - Yes, hold tight with this hand. - Strong fit. - Yes. - And in one fluid motion, you will go to the eight o'clock position and back.

So you go at 8:00 and come back. 8:00 and back. - 8:00 and back. Okay, okay, here we go. - Now let's go. (car whizzing) Shake it. (upbeat music) - It takes a little getting used to, but it's fun. - Yes, it takes a little getting used to, but it's fun. - Oh. Oh my God. That was one of the craziest things I've ever done in my life. - Did you enjoy it? - Enjoy it. And this just shows the level of skill that you have to be able to do that. I mean, we're on a driving platform right now, but you guys are training to do it, in case something happens. - We are training to do it so that our agents and officers get out of danger in a fraction of a second. - Well thank you very much.

Thanks for showing me around. - You are welcome. Yes, fun times. - Very funny. - Thank you for coming and sharing the notebook with us today. - Thank you so much. -And showing me your skills. - I'm aware of. I've always wanted to film with the Secret Service and this has been an incredible opportunity. So appreciate everything you do. - Yes you're welcome. - There you have it, a behind-the-scenes look at the United States Secret Service headquarters and training grounds. I want to say a huge thank you to all the men and women who proudly serve in the ranks of the Secret Service.

And many thanks to them for allowing me the opportunity to come and take a look inside. If there's one thing I learned, it's that the Secret Service is much more than smart suits and sunglasses. And I hope you've gained a new appreciation for everything they do. That's all from here in Washington, D.C. Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already. And see you next time. (suspense music)