"In many instances, Secret Service agents will ride on running boards built into the presidential limousine...This is partly to screen him and partly to give agents a rest from jogging alongside...
The follow-up car serves two other functions: It's a back up in case the presidentialvehicle breaks down, and it carries heavy weapons in case they're needed. While the U.S. President's Secret Service agents are certainly high-profile bodyguards as a deterrent, they have to maintain a certain decorum and avoid giving the impression of being thugs. They all carry handguns, usually in belt holsters,and as we saw in the tape of the Reagan incident, at least carries a submachine gun in a briefcase....We can assume that the Secret Service follows the principle of being ready for any contingency, and also stocks the follow-up car with tear gas and masks, in order to cope with a riot."
