Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 5, 2005

Contact: Eric Smith, Public Relations Assistant

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Life as a federal agent:

Sean Nedd tells of experiences working for U.S. Department of State

Special Agent Sean Nedd addresses students in Dwayne Marshall's criminal justice class.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (LHU) criminal justice majors were brought into the world of international security on Friday, April 1, as Special Agent Sean Nedd, of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), relayed his experiences.

Nedd is one of the agents responsible for guarding people like Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, and had been assigned to Colin Powell when he held that position. Though Nedd could not mention specifics of his job for reasons of national security, he shared what life was like for a DSS agent, the federal agency that handles security for the United Nations General Assembly, and visiting foreign dignitaries and U.S. officials traveling abroad.

The DSS has around 1,400 agents and operates more than 250 posts in 180 countries. Beyond protecting important diplomats, the DSS investigates passport fraud, counterintelligence and related criminal acts including terrorism, organized crime and narcotics trafficking.

Nedd, who served as a Louisiana state trooper for seven years, said the work he is doing now is dangerous, but so is the work of other individuals involved in law enforcement. Being a state trooper, he said, was more dangerous at times, and he recalled an incident when he and a partner experience unexpected gunfire.

"State police, a lot of times, are put into situations where they don't know what to expect," Nedd said. "Working for the DSS, we do a lot of homework on our subjects and we go through a lot of training."

There still is plenty of peril, he added, and he recalled a time when he was in the Mideast and someone he was working with from another security team kicked a bag that contained a bomb in it, killing that person.

During his spare time, it is difficult to distance himself from his training, he said.

"Every time I get in the car, I walk around it to see if there is anything out of place," he said. "It is a habit, and I find I even do it when I get in the car to go to the church on Sunday."

Another area where being an agent can be tough is when he is around his family. His mother, who is curious about his job, asks him a lot of questions that he is not permitted to answer.

"You see things on the news, and then there is the truth," Nedd said. "Sometimes I know things that I can't talk about, and often the news is wrong. We can't talk about these things for obvious reasons. They are items of national security and the information could cause a panic if it got out the wrong way."

Being an agent is also tough for those with families, he said. The hours are long and unpredictable and agents have to be able to go where needed without much notice.

Students listen intently as Special Agent Sean Nedd relays his experiences.

But Nedd, who has been with the DSS for three-and-a-half years, said he wouldn't trade his experiences for anything.

"I've been in almost every airport in every country," he said. "The good thing is I'm not paying for it."

He has gotten to see the personal side of many famous and influential people, though he is always there with one purpose - to protect those people.

"We try not to get too close because you can't afford to get too relaxed," he said. "We need to maintain a certain trust level."

At times, though, those individuals will talk and even joke with the agents, he said.

"One time we were in an elevator with the president (George W. Bush), and he said something funny," Nedd recounted. "We try not to listen, but he said, 'OK, you agents can laugh any time.' So we did."

For criminal justice instructor Dwayne Marshall, having Nedd come to class and talk to the students is invaluable.

"From my perspective, I see an insight that grows in my students as they meet more and more people from law enforcement," Marshall said. "I want to give my students exposure to all of the different job possibilities out there."

Marshall, who was a New Orleans city police officer for 13 years, first met Nedd while Nedd was a Louisiana state trooper. The men have remained friends over the years, and Nedd jumped at the chance to drive up to Lock Haven from his home near Washington, D.C. to talk to Marshall's class.

"It is very important that we get the message conveyed about what we do," Nedd explained. "A lot of people don't know about our organization."

Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 375,000 system alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

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* Note: This document is written in Associated Press style, which varies greatly from MLA, APA and standard English practices. Rules for capitalization, numerics, abbreviation and punctuation differ between Associated Press and other styles. Associated Press style is the preferred choice of Associated Press network newspapers, including local Lock Haven-area papers such as the Lock Haven Express and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.