Regional Security Officer - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Regional Security Officer (RSO) is the title given to special agent

Special agent

Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....

s of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)
Diplomatic Security Service
The U.S. Diplomatic Security Service is the federal law enforcement arm of the United States Department of State. The majority of its Special Agents are members of the Foreign Service and federal law enforcement agents at the same time, making them unique...

serving overseas. The RSO is the principal security attaché and advisor to the U.S. Ambassador at American Embassies and consulates. Working for the U.S. Department of State as special agents, RSOs are also considered officers within the State Department acting as specialists within the United States Foreign Service

United States Foreign Service

The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...

. The RSO is also the senior law enforcement representative at a U.S. Embassy.

Authority & Responsibilities

Working under the dual supervision of the Chief of Mission

Head of Mission

In diplomatic usage, Head of Mission or Chief of Mission from the French "Chef de Mission Diplomatique" is the generic term used to refer to the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an Ambassador, High Commissioner, Nuncio, Chargé d'affaires, Permanent Representative, and sometimes to a...

(Ambassador) and the Diplomatic Security Service

Diplomatic Security Service

The U.S. Diplomatic Security Service is the federal law enforcement arm of the United States Department of State. The majority of its Special Agents are members of the Foreign Service and federal law enforcement agents at the same time, making them unique...

, the RSO ensures that all mandated security programs are carried out. The word "regional" derives from a historical shortage of agents, leading to many embassies with no resident DSS Agent; often an RSO would have to oversee security at several embassies and consulates. Since virtually each embassy now has an RSO, the term is largely anachronistic. In some cases, an RSO may regionally oversee security at consulates and other U.S. presence facilities from an embassy within a country.

At an embassy, the RSO reports directly to the Deputy Chief of Mission, who in turn reports directly to the Ambassador. Under the RSO's direct supervision are the following groups: Marine Security Guards, Assistant RSOs, local guards, foreign service national investigators, an office management specialist and other secretarial and staff assistants, a Surveillance Detection Unit (with a mission of detecting hostile surveillance), security engineering officers, security technical specialists, as well as Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

Seabee

Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...

s assigned to post.

The RSO is in charge of security for all Americans assigned to an embassy (or on temporary duty to Post) that come under the authority of the Chief of Mission. The RSO's responsibility for security relates to personnel, information, physical security of embassy buildings and residences, as well as the conduct of criminal investigations, particularly those involving passport

Passport

A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....

and visa

Visa (document)

A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...

fraud. At larger embassies having other law enforcement agencies in addition to the Diplomatic Security Service

Diplomatic Security Service

, the RSO chairs a law enforcement working group as the Ambassador's main law enforcement and security attaché/advisor. This group is composed of all other U.S. law enforcement agencies represented at an embassy, ensuring that the ambassador is apprised of all significant law enforcement activity at post.

Fugitives

Because the Diplomatic Security Service

Diplomatic Security Service

is the most widely represented law enforcement organization in the world, its capability to track and capture fugitives

Fugitives

The Fugitives were a group of poets and literary scholars who came together at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, around 1920. They published a small literary magazine called The Fugitive from 1922-1925 which showcased their works...

who have fled U.S. jurisdiction to avoid prosecution is unmatched. During 2009, DSS assisted in the resolution of 136 international fugitive cases from around the globe.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Authority & Responsibilities

Fugitives

See also

External links