Amidst the recent scandal involving the Secret Service agents who were caught with prostitutes in Colombia while on duty, the disgusted public has been eager to see how the administration would respond to agents’ misdemeanours.
Now, measures issued on Friday reveal the solution being proposed is obtaining a chaperone.
There was never an explicit outline of what conduct is considered appropriate for agents to follow, probably because one would assume those hired for the job had common sense to distinguish between what is appropriate and what is not.
Nevertheless, these new measures seem to reduce personnel who were once viewed as competent to receiving treatment you would reserve for children running around a playground.
According to an article published by TIME on Saturday, the purpose of these chaperones is to ensure that agents are aware that excessive drinking, bringing foreigners back to their rooms and frequenting unsavory establishments are all unacceptable activities when on duty. Furthermore, ethics classes are to be given to employees sometime next week.
While it is commendable that there has been a tangible response to the mishap in Colombia, such a widespread solution begs the questions as to whether this is an unparalleled incident, or whether this conduct is characteristic of many Secret Service employees.
Why should the Secret Service feel compelled to enforce common sense in this manner if those they hire have to meet certain criteria to serve in the first place?
Questions over whether a chaperone will be useful or cost effective will persist in the coming weeks. However, it is ridiculous that those who are responsible for protecting the president of the United States will now be required to have a chaperone looking over them.
Furthermore, whether this policy will become a permanent fixture in Secret Service operations is uncertain. In light of recent events, the agency was required to take drastic action. Whether these regulations will continue to be enforced once the spotlight fades on the scandal is unclear.
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