Life as a Secret Service Agent

David Dobbs is a West Ottawa and GVSU graduate. He served in the US Marine Corps before joining the Secret Service. Secret Service Agents initially work at a field office to learn investigative techniques, then they join a protection detail, and finish up at one of the 150 offices worldwide. He started his training in Grand Rapids and is now back in Grand Rapids after a protection detail in Washington, DC.

The Secret Service was established in 1865 to protect the financial institutions of the US. At the time, there was a major problem with counterfeiting US currency. Their mission in financial crimes has been extended to credit cards, banks, and crypto fraud. 

In 1901, the service took on the responsibility of protecting the President. Over time, this protection expanded to include the Vice President, their families, former Presidents, the President-Elect, major presidential candidates, foreign heads of state, and other officials as directed by the President. 

Investigations into threats involve tracking down individuals reported to have made threats and assessing the level of danger. The Secret Service is also the agency that leads in protecting National Special Events, like the Olympics.

Agent Dobbs told about a recent case where a gang of thieves was purchasing Meijer gift cards and re-encoding them with stolen credit card numbers. The thieves were tracked through the store's video recordings. The first gang member was arrested when he decided to buy White Castle food at 2 AM. Unfortunately for him, he was pulled over for a broken taillight. The thieves had scammed banks out of $13,000 before they were caught.