NCJ Number
91520
Date Published
1981
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The Secret Service's mission has expanded from immediate protection of the President and other public figures to screening and managing threats, with a plausible future phase being the identification of possible sources of danger and their evaluation. This trend has important implications for agent selection, training, and promotion methods.
Abstract
Because of the extremely varied and difficult tasks assigned to the Service, it must decide whether its work will best be accomplished by generalists or specialists or what should be the optimal ratio between the two. Recruitment and selection are as important as training for persons who are to interview, evaluate, and manage the mentally ill. Training enhances personality traits of sensitivity, and empathy, but has little impact on individuals who are low in such skills. The Service should train persons who will evaluate the mentally disturbed in basic psychiatric and psychological concepts, current treatment approaches, professional resources, and interviewing techniques. Concurrent exercises should involve exposure to real subjects and a variety of settings. Continuing education is necessary, such as brush-up courses, clinical experiences, and visiting consultants. While it is difficult to evaluate the effect of a prevention program, video interviews, direct observation in the field, and the use of actors unknown to the agent are tools for assessing agents' performances. Other methods are control groups to evaluate training alternatives and analysis of field data on contacts with different types of mentally disturbed persons. Several factors now deter the mental health system from making referrals to the Service. Policies that protect the confidentiality of information from informants and involve agencies in the protective monitoring system might facilitate cooperation.