The Secret Service is supposed to be, well, secret. But lately, it’s been anything but. After a scandal in Colombia, the Secret Service has encountered a loss of jobs and loss of credibility thanks to a few agents who made unprofessional decisions.

The scandal began when two agents, deployed to assist in the preparation for Obama’s arrival, refused to pay a Colombian escort the price they had agreed to for her services. Now, in Cartagena, Colombia, prostitution is legal, and it is therefore legal for US citizens to participate in such activities while on Colombian soil as long as the prostitute is of age. However, it is against the code of conduct for a Secret Service agent to take part. So, after the escort complained to the Colombian police, who supported her, the issue became public (www.huffingtonpost.com).

Now, 12 Secret Service personnel and another dozen military members are under investigation in regards to their involvement in prostitution as paying customers. There have already been six agents who have lost their jobs over the mess involving over 20 prostitutes (www.huffingtonpost.com)

Obama visited Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and commented, “A couple of knuckleheads shouldn’t detract from what they do. What these guys were thinking, I don’t know. That’s why they’re not there anymore,” in regards to the Secret Service as a whole.

Adding to the doubts about the reliability of the Secret Service was the revelation that two of the “dirty dozen” were veteran officers who were intended to supervise the less experienced agents. They have both been let go and the Secret Service has been attempting to portray the scandal as an isolated incident that should not reflect the entire Service. It was assured that the president’s safety and security had not been jeopardized by these events (www.telegraph.co.uk).