§455 — Title 6 Domestic Security | U.S. Code

§455 Miscellaneous authorities

Title 6 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VIII— - COORDINATION WITH NON-FEDERAL ENTITIES; INSPECTOR GENERAL; UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE; COAST GUARD; GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part Part H— - Miscellaneous Provisions › § 455

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Department must have a seal, and the President must approve its design. The Secretary gets the same powers the Secretary of Transportation has under section 324 of title 49. Unless a delegation or law says otherwise, a delegated duty can be passed down to a subordinate. If a proper State or local law enforcement official asks, the Secretary can help investigate violent acts, shootings in a place of public use, and mass killings or attempted mass killings by using the Secret Service or ICE. That help will be treated as federal work. Mass killings means 3 or more killings in a single incident. Place of public use has the meaning in 18 U.S.C. 2332f(e)(6).

Title 6, §455

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Department shall have a seal, whose design is subject to the approval of the President.

(b)With respect to the Department, the Secretary shall have the same authorities that the Secretary of Transportation has with respect to the Department of Transportation under section 324 of title 49.

(c)Unless otherwise provided in the delegation or by law, any function delegated under this chapter may be redelegated to any subordinate.

(d)(1)At the request of an appropriate law enforcement official of a State or political subdivision, the Secretary, through deployment of the Secret Service or United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, may assist in the investigation of violent acts and shootings occurring in a place of public use, and in the investigation of mass killings and attempted mass killings. Any assistance provided by the Secretary under this subsection shall be presumed to be within the scope of Federal office or employment.

(2)For purposes of this subsection—

(A)the term “mass killings” means 3 or more killings in a single incident; and

(B)the term “place of public use” has the meaning given that term under section 2332f(e)(6) of title 18.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (c), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 107–296, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2135, known as the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 101 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2013—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 112–265 added subsec (d).