Overview

• Demand for counter-sniper coverage rose 151% from 2020 to 2024, increasing strain and prompting reliance on overtime and outside support.
• Counter-snipers logged 247,887 overtime hours from 2020 through 2024, equal to roughly 24 full-time positions, the report says.
• Agents who had missed mandatory weapons requalification covered 47 of 426 protectee events in 2024, highlighting readiness lapses.
• The report notes it typically takes about three years to field a counter-sniper from initial hiring and criticizes the absence of an effective recruitment pipeline.
• The Secret Service agreed to implement the recommendations, with Director Sean Curran pledging to boost staffing and training following the Butler, Pennsylvania attack that exposed vulnerabilities.