If not the Treasury, then who?

April 23, 2009 5:18 PM

[Novel filter] Who guards high-profile members of Congress at events?

According to Wikipedia, unless you are the President or the VP or a foreign dignitary, the Secret Service is unlikely to be guarding you. But who does? If threats have been made against Sen. XXX would they hire their own protection? Would the FBI have someone with them? If a whole bunch of congresspeople and VIPs of industry and organizations were all at a fancy event, who would likely be providing security and how would different security services determine who was in charge?

posted by ilikecookies to grab bag (12 comments total)

I believe the Secret Service provides protection as needed for high-profile members of Congress (such as the Speaker of the House). I read a book about the history of the Secret Service and if I recall correctly it mentioned this.
posted by karizma at 5:26 PM on April 23

The Capitol Police. I doubt that Congress would accept Secret Service protection, due to separation of powers issues.
posted by gsteff at 5:42 PM on April 23

Yeah, there was that story arc on the West Wing where C. J. Cregg (played by the wonderful Allison Janney) started getting death threats. She was the press secretary, and they gave her a Secret Service detail.

And that was a TV show, so that has to be like real life, right?
posted by kbanas at 5:45 PM on April 23

I work in a university environment where ranking members of the Senate and House often come for speaking engagements. I do know that there is a strong coordinated effort among different law enforcement agencies, including local.
posted by mrmojoflying at 5:52 PM on April 23

I say this because when I've been stopped and ID'd to get to my office, it's been by state police.
posted by mrmojoflying at 5:53 PM on April 23

I have a friend who worked for a city police department, and he served in this type of capacity sometimes. So, they must cooperate with local authorities. He calls it "high risk dignitary protection".
posted by Houstonian at 6:02 PM on April 23

In the Capitol, it's the Capitol Police. The guys guarding the important people generally wear suits.
posted by Atreides at 6:29 PM on April 23

Here is the brief wikipedia page.

Anecdote, Capitol police are one of the few groups of law enforcement who are allowed to carry guns onto planes.
posted by Atreides at 6:32 PM on April 23

Much like the Secret Service, the Capitol Police have a Uniformed Division and a Protection Division. The Protection Division officers look like the Secret Service: suits, earpieces, ability to completely fuck you up in two seconds flat if you so much as breathe on Nancy Pelosi. And they've got the black SUVs too.
posted by awesomebrad at 7:56 PM on April 23

The speaker and perhaps senate majority leader may have 24 hour protection, especially in DC, but the vast majority of senators and congress[wo]men have no protection unless they are currently under some credible threat. Even chairs of powerful committees are not kept under guard. There is usually no security at events in the home districts. The Capitol Police will fly out and investigate threats against members or staff, though.

If the fancy event with many members were taking place in, say, a state capitol during a recess, there would not normally be a capitol police presence. State troopers may be on hand if it's a state government function, but more likely, the people who put on the event would have to hire private security or off-duty officers or even just go without... I've seen events with multiple members of congress present where there was no security. I think this holds true for off-capitol hill events in DC but am not positive.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 8:51 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]

I was just at an event with my member of Congress (the Speaker). She very definitely had security, I assume Capitol Police, in suits with the little wires in the ears, lapel pins, and weapons. There were many of them, they swept the room before she came in, monitored all the doors, and kept an eye on everything. Most were on the large size. One was a woman. That was in addition to the significant local law enforcement presence.

This was in her home district, not DC.
posted by gingerbeer at 9:03 PM on April 23

I live in DC, working and living on Capitol Hill, and see Members of Congress walking around unaccompanied all the time--Carl Levin, Eleanor Holmes Norton, John Kerry, and I'm sure a lot of others who I don't recognize. Sure, these aren't the top leadership, but they're pretty high profile, and I see them shopping and going to the dry cleaners and all that, not just walking around the Capitol and offices, but, like, in Georgetown and Eastern Market.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:29 AM on April 24