Women secret service agents would not have let this happen

It’s an interesting premise that the presence of women would keep “bad boy” behavior in line.  

As the secret service sex scandal continues to unfold, the media has raised this question. If there had been more female secret service agents in Columbia wouldn’t they have deterred such “macho” behavior? As yet, there has been no official statement as to how many, if any, female agents were assigned to President Obama’s visit to Columbia.  

What’s emerged are a few facts and observations about female secret service agents.  

• Women have been integrated into the secret service for over 40 years
• In 2004 the first female agent, Barbara Riggs, became a deputy director
• Special Agent Julie Y. Cross, was the first female agent to die in the line of duty in 1980
• According to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission report for 2010, women composed about one-quarter of the almost 7,000 employees
• Female agents must meet the same physical endurance standards as male agents, and many are recruited from athletic college and university programs
• Their expertise in firearms also qualifies them to be part of the President’s Protective Division

What little is know about female secret service agents comes from author Jeffrey Robinson. Robison with Joseph Petro, a former senior special agent  wrote “Standing Next to History: An Agent’s Life Inside the Secret Service” where they confirm female agents with their firearms expertise are equally deployed to protect the President. 

However, when Robinson suggests that female agents are better suited to some jobs than male agents (that’s besides protecting the President), it leaves us really wanting to know what unique skills they would bring to the secret service.  

The answer according to Robinson is being able to protect the first lady in the ladies room. Really  … is this all we can say about any unique female agent’s skills – restroom protection and deterring male agents from “bad boy” behavior ????? 

If you have an interest in becoming a female secret service agent, don’t give up. Watch the video below.

 Sources:

Secret Service scandal raises question of macho culture, women agents by Laura Smith-Spark, CNN http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/18/us/secret-service-women/index.html