Peter Ford
Diplomatic Security (State Department)
I grew up at West Point, New York, where I learned early about the value of service to one’s country. While many of my law enforcement colleagues come from long lines of police officers, my roots are quite different. My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all Lutheran ministers in the Swedish tradition, all hailing from Minnesota.
I attended Gustavus Adolphus College, a liberal arts institution with Swedish-Lutheran heritage, and was the only ROTC cadet on campus. I went on to serve 32 years in the U.S. Army Reserves. During my senior year at college, I applied to both the FBI and the Secret Service, only to be told that neither agency was hiring at the time. So, after graduation, I set off on a Eurail pass to explore Europe—an experience that sparked a lifelong passion for travel, cultures, world history, and global affairs.
While visiting the Battle of Waterloo monument, I met the Regional Security Officer (RSO) from the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, West Germany. He introduced me to Diplomatic Security (DS), the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of State. At the time, few people had even heard of DS. Intrigued, I applied, and after a six-month background investigation—while waiting tables at the Fish Market in Old Town Alexandria—I was hired as a Special Agent. I began my 32-year career in September 1985, retiring in May 2018.
Over the course of my career, I visited 117 countries, lived abroad for a total of 14 years, and studied five languages (Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Portuguese). I served in U.S. embassies in Venezuela, Brazil, Honduras, Switzerland, Armenia, Mauritania, Sudan, Lebanon, and Iraq. The experience transformed how I view the world—today, the ocean feels like a small pond. Travel is in my DNA, and I’ve always believed in participating in historic current events, not just reading about it.
One of the most rewarding assignments of my career was serving as Director of Hostage Affairs in Baghdad around 2007. During my 18-month posting, I took dozens of helicopter and motorcade missions in search of hostages, including foreign nationals whose governments supported U.S. efforts in Iraq. Our team also helped recover the remains of American citizens, bringing closure to grieving families.
In Rio de Janeiro, I served as the U.S. Olympic Coordinator. After six months of intensive Portuguese training, I moved to Ipanema and worked closely with Brazilian law enforcement and U.S. agencies, particularly the FBI. A major challenge was addressing drone threats at a time when counter-drone technology was still emerging. I enlisted the help of two drone specialists from U.S. Southern Command who deployed to Brazil for the duration of the Olympics (other major threats were vehicular attacks and attacks against soft targets). I also navigated the diplomatic fallout from the Ryan Lochte incident, which required careful coordination with Brazilian authorities.
Stateside, I held several rewarding positions, including tours in Protective Liaison—the office responsible for the safety of foreign embassies and consulates on U.S. soil. In one case, we quietly relocated an ambassador’s spouse to a domestic violence shelter. I also completed year-long assignments with the Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security Committees and served as Capitol Hill liaison, supporting high-threat Congressional delegations (CODELs) overseas.
Law enforcement has profoundly shaped my life, and I continue to support frontline patrol officers however I can (I donated a kidney to a patrol officer from Prince George’s county). For those considering a career in law enforcement, I can’t recommend it enough—it’s a path that changed my life in ways I could never have imagined.
