Unbecoming of an Officer…in this case the Secret Service

The Obama administration seem to be grasping at straws.  Clutching and clawing at any idea to keep the White House
out of the hands of  former Governor Mitt Romney.  Amid the scandals of the Secret Service, lets be clear that there have been
incidences under prior administrations, George W. Bush and even Bill Clinton.

One of the first things I asked myself was is a Secret Service Agent an Officer?  The Answer was right there
on the Secret Service Web Site and I quote

Uniformed Division Officer

Secret Service Uniformed Division officers provide protection for the White House Complex, the Vice President’s residence, the main Treasury Building and Annex, and foreign diplomatic missions and embassies in the Washington, D.C., area. Additionally, Uniformed Division officers travel in support of presidential, vice presidential, and foreign head of state government missions. Uniformed Division officers are also responsible for the enforcement of mandated protective responsibilities as described under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3056A.

So why the title of the post? I was brought back to the movie, “A Few Good Men”, Starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.  In the movie
two US Marines were discharged from their service for doing the one thing that they were suppose to do; Protecting those that can not protect themselves.

There have been some problems with the Secret Service as far back as the Clinton Administration.   In 1993 an incident involved an informant who ended up dead.  This female informant had spent some intimate time with an Agent.   In 2002 agents were sent packing from the Winter Olympics after a rowdy January 31 party at a hotel that few guests had complained about.  The Police even received information about a possible sexual assault at the party.  In 2005 an agents cell phone was breached.  His cell phone had materials that were linked to a Secret Service investigation.   Under the rules of the Secret Service such sensitive documents were not allowed to be copied to and from computer systems.

Now onto the Obama Administration.  Early this year there was the story of Agents meeting up with prostitutes.   Not only that but apparently the service has gotten quite the reputation of “Party Animals”.  This all comes to light after local area residents of Martha’s Vinyard, where the Obama’s love to vacation.

A recent Fox News story revealed that the Secret Service Agents may not be what they seam on the outside.   But I do suppose that deep down we are all just some sort of party animal.

“Trashed rental homes, bad behavior and barroom brawls that have required the local police to step in have some disgusted Martha’s Vineyard homeowners vowing never to rent out to the Secret Service again. And while none of the disturbing behavior appeared to have any direct effect on the president’s safety, some occurred even as the president and his family were nearby.

One resident called police in the early morning on Aug. 18, 2011, about a party that went on until well past 4 a.m. on the day President Obama arrived for a nine-day vacation. Cars were parked on a lawn strewn with beer bottles and young women went in and out of the house as shouts from a spirited foosball game pierced the wee-hours air, neighbors told FoxNews.com.

A police report obtained by FoxNews.com describes two local cops arriving at 2:23 a.m. to find as many as a dozen people on the porch “talking and laughing loudly.””

You can read the entire story here

So that brings me back to the title of the post.  I found this example of offenses that are unbecoming an officer.
“Instances of violation of this article include knowingly making a false official statement; dishonorable failure to pay a debt; cheating on an exam; opening and reading a letter of another without authority; using insulting or defamatory language to another officer in that officer’s presence or about that officer to other military persons; being drunk and disorderly in a public place; public association with known prostitutes; committing or attempting to commit a crime involving moral turpitude; and failing without good cause to support the officer’s family.

I am certainly not against anyone having fun while on the job, but lets face it, the Secret Service is there to protect the President at all cost.