Woman's ex-secret service dad reveals tips from his career

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

A woman whose dad was a Secret Service agent for over two decades has shared the safety tips he taught her - and the things she'd never do to avoid putting herself in danger.
Ashley, who asked to keep her last name hidden for privacy reasons, 36, from Washington, D.C., explained exclusively to the DailyMail.com that her father spent 25 years protecting political figures and investigating threats to the country's 'financial infrastructure'.
'The United States Secret Service entails two primary missions: protective services and criminal investigations,' she explained.
'On the protective side, Secret Service agents are responsible for the safety of the President, Vice President, their immediate families, former Presidents, visiting foreign dignitaries, and others as designated.
'On the investigative side, the Secret Service investigates financial and threats to the nation's financial infrastructure.
'My dad worked in both areas during his time as an agent, eventually becoming the special agent in charge of the presidential protective division, and later, the deputy assistant director of protective operations.'
Along the way, Ashley explained that he learned a lot about how to keep himself and others safe, something he made sure to pass down to his daughter.
The 'most important' piece of advice he gave her was to always 'use our situational awareness.'
'When entering a room, take a few seconds to locate the entrances and exits, know what is around you, and who's around you,' she dished.
'[He also taught us] to always use our gut - if a situation feels off, it likely is.'
Ashley explained that there are certain common things that she'd 'never do' because her dad taught her how dangerous they could actually be.
She said she'd 'never share her location publicly, especially in real time,' or 'run alone in the dark.'
'[I also would never] think 'it won't happen to me because I'm too smart, young, strong, etc,"' she added.
'[My dad] always encouraged us to have a plan. [I'd also never] linger near my car, in my car, or in a parking lot.
'We were raised to walk with intention, get in our vehicles, lock the door and leave.'
But most importantly, she said she'd never let 'fear stop her from doing what she loves.'
'Statistically, the odds of being a victim of a random crime is low, so be aware but keep living life,' she added.
While being the daughter of a Secret Service agent certainly had its perks, she admitted that she looks back at her childhood with 'mixed emotions.'
'The Secret Service can't plan around graduations and birthdays and Halloweens,' she explained.
'So my dad missed out on a lot while I was growing up. But I got to experience some incredible things that very few people get to, and he's now made up for lost time tenfold in retirement.'
Mother-of-two Ashley previously told SWNS that she never puts her children's names on backpacks or sits with her back towards the door in a public setting.
'My dad always took that position and now I do,' she said of the latter. 'It's so you can see.
'You want to be alert. You want your back towards the wall to be able to visualize the entrances.'
She also warned against selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace or letting a date pick you up at your house.
'My dad always said don't let a stranger come to your house,' she explained.
'When I first started dating, my dad would say before you know their intentions to say "I'll meet you there."
'If it wasn't for my dad I probably wouldn't have thought twice about letting them pick me up.
'It does take away the naivety of growing up. You're always preparing for the worst case scenario.'