The Secretary’s Weekly Report
An update on this week’s department progress
This week, regardless of the slow start due to approval processes, the department command has mostly been in the spotlight. A key focus of the Secretary, while entering into the position, was to take the first few days — which turned to a week— to focus on the immense amount of reorganization, meeting, and assorting required to ensure that the department starts off strong.
The Secretary opened the administration with a meeting with the directors of the Secret Service and Federal Protective Service, their administrations, the Homeland Security Chief of Staff, the Executive Secretary of Internal Affairs, the Special Service Team Commander, and the Under Secretary of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. At this meeting, we opened the term with discussion in regard to systems in place or in development, plans of operation, policies, department changes or implementations, and more. This allowed the department administration to get a look into how the components around them will be operating and gives them an opportunity to learn about, help improve, and work alongside their department-based related agencies.
After meetings, the administration and command got to work in their respective components. The Secret Service immediately began work within the newly established “Secret Service Academy”, which is now required for entry into the Secret Service. The Secretary approved of and enjoyed this idea because it ensures stages of continuous, rigorous training that will not only help us get insight into the candidate’s ability, but allows them to get the proper training and perspective of their, potentially, incoming position. The activity, cooperation, and focus of the Secret Service has been outstanding and will only improve from here.
The Federal Protective Service began organizing between their divisions, including the Counter Terrorism Unit and the Protection Investigation Unit, and began outlining the duties, jurisdictions, and tasks of the respective divisions accordingly. This ensured that the agency was more efficient in their work and properly listed the operations of the agency and its counterparts to see to it that the divisions knew what they were meant to do and could deploy at the proper time and be effective in the process. The Federal Protective Service activity is steady, in a positive manner, and will surely improve once the divisions are fully up and running — which is in the process.
The department’s databases have been fully organized and are now in operation. The release of a central hub, which stores the report and application center, marked the completion of one of the administration’s main goals: transparency. Along with “The Secretary’s Weekly Report”s and an active department Twitter account, the administration wanted to offer the public a direct route to reporting any personnel misconduct that they encounter. The central hub hosts a report center in which transfers directly to the reports database that the department command have access to and check daily — along with checking every report.
After the Deputy Secretary’s approval, the Chief of Staff immediately began with observational trainings in which the attendees were noted and space was made for incoming personnel. On January 30th, the Secretary held the first tryout of the administration, passing and entering 6 to 7 new personnel. After tryouts concluded, applications were released and are in the process of being reviewed and returned. After Probationary Agents are entered through the tryout and application cycles, orientation will be held to settle the new personnel into the department, to get them situated, to brief them on their tasks, and to brief them on department policy and proper conduct while on duty. Ultimately, with the approval of the Deputy Secretary, this allowed the department to fully launch into operation and much more progress will be made that will be reported in the coming weeks.
The first weekly report marks tremendous progress and the department will proceed on that route, providing nothing short of its best. The administration’s goal, as previously stated, was to ensure a high level of transparency and the Secretary’s Weekly Reports is a way for the Secretary to do just that by communicating to the general public of the actions, improvements, announcements, and status of the Department of Homeland Security, as it should be. The department is there for the people and serves the people and must constantly keep the people updated and that is the Secretary’s goal through the weekly reports.
Thank you very much and we will see you next week.
