H I S TO RY THE LIFE OF A SECRET SERVICE AGENT By Mr. B
36 • MAINE SENIORS
PHOTO: JASON PAIGE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY
A Secret V iewpoint on
ometimes it’s just in the DNA. Kevin Rice, Associate Director of Safety and Security at Husson University in Bangor, has over 30 years in law enforcement. Twentythree of those years were as a Special Agent in the United States Secret Service, serving our country in various locations, from Florida to Georgia to Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. Rice grew up outside New York City, where his father was a Police Detective. His dad was assigned to the 17th Precinct in Manhattan. In that position, he would often collaborate with Secret Service agents protecting dignitaries attending the United Nations. He would tell his son about these men’s professionalism, and how much he respected the agents he had the privilege to work with. So, it was only natural that as a young boy, and then as a young man, Kevin dreamed of becoming a Secret Service Agent. The Secret Service has a long and storied history. It was established in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln in a bill that he signed the evening before he left for Ford’s Theatre. In those days, the agency was assigned to stop the counterfeiting of money, which was rampant during the Civil War. Known as “operatives,” these agents served under the Department of the Treasury. As time passed, the agency became more involved in financial fraud cases in general. It also began participating in protective assignments. That’s the role that most Americans think of when they think of the Secret Service. For a number of years, Kevin served in the Polygraph Branch, which operates lie-detector equipment. The training to become a polygrapher is intense, learning about
