Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., criticized the Friday revelation that the Secret Service often employs volunteers to drive in presidential motorcades.
Thompson, the ranking Democrat in the House Homeland Security Committee, said that that “should not be a common practice.” Noting the “threat environment” and the ways in which that environment is different from when the Secret Service first implemented the volunteer program, Thompson called for the Secret Service to “[evaluate] this program and find a way to use trained officers for all motorcades.”
“The lack of resources that the USSS says is the reason behind this program was addressed by the independent panel,” Thompson added.
Earlier Friday, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Brian Leary acknowledged the program, saying that any volunteers “are briefed by the Secret Service agent responsible for the motorcade prior to any movements.” He also noted the “police presence” and the typical lack of traffic in the area of the motorcade.
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