MILWUKEE, Wis. — The Republican National Convention (RNC) will take place in July in Milwaukee. The lead federal agency for this event is the United States Secret Service. 

Secret Service veteran Monique Cole is the Resident Agent in Charge (RAIC) of the Milwaukee field office.

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Secret Service was originally created in 1865 to stamp out rampant counterfeiting in order to stabilize America's young financial system

  • After the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, the Secret Service was tasked with the full-time protection of the President of the United States

  • The U.S. Secret Service has an integrated mission of protection and financial investigations to ensure the safety and security of our protectees, key locations, and events of national significance

  • Secret Service veteran Monique Cole is the Resident Agent in Charge (RAIC) of the Milwaukee field office

Cole first became interested in law enforcement while she was in college. The Atlanta, Georgia native said she met two Secret Service agents at a career fair.

"They let me know I could travel the world and literally be a witness to world history in the making, and I figured why not," RAIC Monique Cole said.

In her 22 years with the Secret Service, Cole’s done some official globetrotting.

"I've been to France, and Italy. I've been to several countries in Africa. I've been to Brussels," Cole said.

She said initially she was apprehensive about joining a male-dominated field. Cole said she quickly cast that worry aside and found herself working high-level missions.

"I conducted investigations as a special agent in our Miami field office. From there, I transferred to our protected intelligence and assessment division, where I conducted threat assessments and compiled protective security plans for the president, vice president, and foreign heads of state," RAIC Cole said.

The Secret Service designated the Republican National Convention as a National Special Security Event.

Cole said several hundred Secret Service Agents and Officers will work with dozens of Wisconsin law enforcement agencies to keep the event safe.

"Our local, state, and federal partners are key. They are critical to the success of any visit we have, whether it's here in Milwaukee or across the state," Cole said.

Protection is not the Secret Service's only mission. The agency was created in 1865 to combat the rise of counterfeit currency. 

"We not only investigate crimes, including bank fraud, money laundering, and access device fraud but also those of a cyber nature. Today's investigative mission is focused on protecting the critical infrastructure of the United States by countering interstate and transnational cyber and financial crimes," Cole said.

With more than two decades on the job, Agent Cole now has five presidential elections and many missions under her belt. She said she’s thankful for her career in public safety.

"I've had great experiences traveling across the United States, as well as abroad and other country's great assignments to include undercover work and working with our state and federal partners on great investigations. So, it really truly has been a great experience for me," Cole said.

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