Introduction

The US Secret Service uses drone technology to support its protective and investigative missions. The Privacy Impact Assessment for the United States Secret Service Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program dated September 27, 2023 describes this activity in general terms.  The Open Group ArchiMate standard, which provides a graphical language for enterprise and solutions architecture, is used here to express and speculatively elaborate upon this information. This case study quotes excerpts of the document, and provides corresponding ArchiMate diagrams. Quotes from the document are shown in italics, and all ArchiMate elements and relationships are labeled for those new to the language.

Please note that the full version of this case study is available on EA Principals substack channel: esatoday.substack.com.

Figure 1 below shows the ArchiMate Full Framework.  The ArchiMate diagrams in this case study use the same visual scheme as the framework, in which each of the language layers and is Motivation aspect have unique colors.

Figure 1. The ArchiMate Full Framework. Active Structure Elements can perform Behavior on Passive Structure elements (data or information) and each other.

The Roles of the US Secret Service (USSS)

The Secret Service has two primary mandates: 1) providing physical protection of select individuals, places, and events, and 2) conducting criminal investigations. The Secret Service protective mission is achieved through identifying threats, mitigating vulnerabilities, and creating secure environments for protected people, places, and events. The USSS is further charged with ensuring the integrity of U.S. currency and protecting financial institutions from those seeking to defraud, damage, or disrupt United States financial systems.

Figure 2. The USSS is modeled as a Business Actor, and its assigned roles are modeled as Business Roles (sets of responsibility). The Provider of Physical Protection Business Role is Served by three Business Functions (categories of behavior).

The Value of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS)

…renders target surveillance and visual information from a viewpoint not available through traditional surveillance tactics…enable law enforcement personnel to assess a potentially hostile environment before any personnel approach the perimeter…capable of providing overwatch – a wide, overall perspective of target locations…

…provide critical information such as the location of vehicles, people, potential evidence, possible suspect escape routes, obstacles to search and arrest warrant teams, or the presence of a sensitive group, such as children …allow surveillance teams to confirm the location of the suspect(s) prior to executing an arrest warrant while minimizing exposure of bystanders and law enforcement personnel…

…enhanced awareness [for] investigators… offsite assets such as associated local police units… decision makers and supporting entities…

 …allow the surveillance or search and arrest warrant team to determine the most efficient and safest deployment of assets in real time…assist with preserving evidence, mitigating the risk of subject escape and/or flight…overall contribute to the successful prosecution of USSS cases.

Figure 3. Each of the kinds of value produced by the USSS capability Operate sUAS are types of the value Render Information.

NOTE: The full version of this case study is available at esatoday.substack.com..

Authored by Iver Band, EA Principals Senior Instructor and ArchiMate Expert