united states secret service, uniformed division

which is creepier: the president's guards in matching, non-descript black suits, or the same guys in uniform? turns out they got those guys in uniform, alright. the united states secret service, uniformed division. what do they do, you ask? from their website:

"While protection of the White House Complex remains its primary mission, the Uniformed Division's responsibilities have expanded greatly over the years.

They now protect the following:

* the White House Complex, the Main Treasury Building and Annex, and other Presidential offices;
* the President and members of the immediate family;
* the temporary official residence of the Vice President in the District of Columbia;
* the Vice President and members of the immediate family; and
* foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and throughout the United States, and its territories and possessions, as prescribed by statute."

pretty innocuous, right? basically these guys are the kings of american rent-a-cops, making sure nobody starts any shenanigans in the white house. "don't shit in the lincoln bedroom," "please call it 'enhanced interrogation,' not torture," "we know he sucks too but please don't punch the president," etc, etc.

turns out these guys have been given a couple extra responsibilities in bush's Global War on Everything. here's a little excerpt from the 2005 patriot act renewal:

(b)(1) Under the direction of the Director of the Secret Service, members of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division are authorized to--

`(A) carry firearms;

`(B) make arrests without warrant for any offense against the United States committed in their presence, or for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such felony;

i'm no constitutional scholar, but something about that ain't quite right. so these glorified traffic cops work for the president, can arrest anyone on sight if they have 'reasonable grounds' (apparently different from the more constitutional 'probable cause'), and don't need a warrant?

oh patriot act, what will you fuck up next?