April 23, 2012
More women said needed in Secret Service
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) commended Secret Service agent Paula Reid in the way she handled Secret Service scandal. (UPI/Kevin Dietsch)
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- If the U.S. Secret Service hired more female agents, perhaps the prostitution scandal in Colombia would never have happened, elected officials said Sunday.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in an interview on ABC's "This Week," commended Secret Service agent Paula Reid, head of the service detail in Latin America, for getting the the bottom of the scandal and cleaning up the mess.
"She acted decisively, appropriately, and I can't help but wonder if there'd been more women as part of that detail if this ever would have happened," Collins said.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., agreed, pointing out 11 percent of Secret Service agents are women.
"I can't help but keep asking this question, where are the women? We probably need to diversify the Secret Service and have more minorities and more women," she said.
A total of 23 Secret Service and military personnel have been implicated in the April 11 scandal, USA Today reported Saturday.
The report said six men left the Secret Service following allegations they brought prostitutes to their hotel, before President Obama arrived for the Latin American summit. In addition, five others remain under investigation, USA Today reported. Another has been cleared of "serious wrongdoing," but still faces discipline.
