Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
When JFK was assassinated, the Secret Service was in store for major changes.
The Warren Commission, which was formed to investigate the Nov. 22 shooting, found what it called “certain shortcomings and lapses from high standards which the Commission believes should prevail in the field of Presidential protection.”
The ill-prepared Secret Service, which neglected to check buildings along the motorcade route, transformed the small agency into a $1.6 billion service that has counter-sniper units and assault teams, NPR reports.
“Not criticizing what happened in 1963, but I think it’s fair to say that protections changed quite a bit, and how we do things on a day-to-day basis,” says Special Agent Brian Leary, who serves as a spokesman for the agency.
