Vice presidents get a lot of privileges, such as their own personal staff and residence. But do vice presidents get secret service for life? The answer is…not exactly. Vice presidents do not receive Secret Service protection for life, but they can have it if they want to. In the event that the vice president takes over as president due to the resignation, impeachment, death, or inability of the president to fulfill his duties, then he does get secret service protection for life. So while you won’t be getting secret service protection yourself as a vice president unless you become POTUS one day, you will still get security through other means.
Does Vice President Have Secret Service For Life?
No, the Secret Service does not provide protection for the Vice President for their entire life. When a new President is inaugurated, they choose who they want to be their Secret Service detail, so they get to choose who they think is best qualified to do the job. The Vice President will then have to find someone else to provide them with security while they are in office.
What Does The Secret Service Provide?
- The Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency that protects the president and other high-ranking government officials when they travel. The Secret Service also investigates crimes committed by people close to the president, such as assassination attempts.
- The Secret Service also has a special unit called the Uniformed Division (the U.S. Park Police are a similar agency), which ensures that all presidential trips are safe and secure for the president and his family.
- The Secret Service provides a wide range of services for its many clients, including protection against cybercrime, protection against identity theft, and protection against financial crime.
- The Secret Service also provides technical security, such as surveillance and alarm systems. Vice presidents may receive the same physical protection that top government officials receive, such as around-the-clock protection and special vehicles.
- The vice president’s family may also receive protection, including for overseas travel due to the potential for threats from terrorism. The Secret Service also provides protection for presidential candidates and their spouses, both during the campaign and after the person is elected. This protection extends for one year after Inauguration Day.
How Do You Receive Protection?
- There is no set process or application to receive secret service protection. A president decides whom to provide secret service protection for and at what levels. The Secret Service decides whom to protect, within the parameters provided by the president.
- Vice presidents can be selected to receive protection based on a variety of factors. The Secret Service may provide protection based on the vice president’s role, the popularity of the political party, and the potential for threats against the vice president.
- This protection may include the same level of detail as provided for the president, or a lower level, depending on the needs of the vice president.
Why Do Vice Presidents Get Secret Service Protection?
1. They’re high-profile targets
Being a vice presidential candidate is a very high-profile activity. Because the vice president’s job is to help his or her running mate get elected, they or often appears at rallies and other events on behalf of the candidate. This subjects them to a great deal of public attention, and it also makes them high-profile targets for critics and opponents of their party. For instance, in 2008, while on the campaign trail, Sarah Palin’s appearance at a rally in Wisconsin resulted in a significant level of property damage and a few minor injuries. In other words, vice presidential candidates are often the subjects of threats and confrontations, and they are almost always in the public eye. This makes them natural targets for Secret Service protection.
2. Their families get protection, too
While vice presidents are major targets for violence or threats, their families often receive attention as well. Vice presidential candidates’ spouses and children often travel with them during the campaign. This means that they are in the public eye as well, and they are likewise often targeted for threats or attacks. Vice presidents’ children also often attend a school or go to college. This means that they are regularly visiting public places, such as campuses. It would be difficult to provide security for them on their own, but Secret Service protection allows them to receive a certain level of protection without being under the constant supervision of security guards.
3. The travels with the president (most of the time)
Usually, a vice president only becomes president if the president has died or resigned. In these cases, the VP becomes president until the next election. In general, though, a vice president will become president only if something happens to the president while they are both in office. This means that most of the time, the vice president is traveling with the president. However, the Secret Service protects only the president. The VP is on his or her own for getting around. In some situations, this could make it difficult for the VP to respond to an emergency situation. For instance, if the president were involved in a car accident, the vice president would have to find another way to get to the scene. This might be very difficult.
4. They may be appointed to run an agency
Being a vice president is a full-time job, but it doesn’t have the same level of responsibility that being president does. In fact, many vice presidents often complain that their job is very boring. This is why, when they were first given Secret Service protection, many people assumed that the vice president would be protected only when they were traveling with the president. This is not the case, however. If the vice president is appointed to run an agency, they will continue to receive Secret Service protection as well. This is because they are still the second in command of the country, and they are still high-profile targets. This means that they will continue to receive a certain level of protection wherever they go.
5. Other reasons VPs get Secret Service
There may be other reasons why someone becomes a vice president, which means that they will also be given Secret Service protection. This could include being a cabinet member, holding other high-level government positions, or being the spouse of a former president. Vice presidents who are seen as potential successors to the current president are also likely to be given Secret Service protection. This is because these people have an excellent chance of becoming president in the future. The Secret Service likely wants to be prepared for that possibility by having agents in place to protect them and their families.
What Legal Limitations Of SS Protection For VPS?
- There are several limitations on the protection provided to vice presidents. Secret Service protection is not guaranteed to all vice presidents. Presidents decide whom to protect, within the agency’s parameters.
- The Secret Service may decline protection for some vice presidents, particularly when the agency is understaffed. There are certain factors that may contribute to the Secret Service’s decision to decline protection for a vice president.
- These include the vice president’s popularity and the potential for threats against them, the agency’s budget and staffing levels, and the physical and staffing limitations of the vice president’s residence. Vice presidents can also lose protection.
- Secret Service protection lasts only as long as the person holds the office of vice president. There are no set terms for protection, but most vice presidents lose protection after eight years.
Conclusion
The president decides who will receive protection from the Secret Service and at what level, and there is no official word on why exactly the vice president gets secret service protection in this case but it’s probably because there are so many threats towards a sitting president that there needs to be some kind of safety net in place just in case something happens. While you won’t be getting secret service protection yourself as a vice president unless you become POTUS one day, you will still get security through other means.
