The U.S. Secret Service is reassigning nearly two dozen members of its staff and exploring stricter rules on alcohol consumption after agents in charge of protecting President Obama on a recent trip to Europe were sent home after a night of drinking, a spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
"Personnel are being reassigned as a result of staffing rotations and as a result of assessments made after two recent incidents of misconduct," Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said in a statement. "Director [Julia] Pierson maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding incidents of misconduct and continues to evaluate the best human-capital practices and policies for the workforce."
The latest incident involved three Secret Service agents assigned to President Obama's detail in Amsterdam last month.
One of the agents was found intoxicated on the morning before the president's arrival in a hotel hallway.
A second recent incident of misconduct took place in Florida early last month, when two officers believed to have been drinking had a car accident shortly before the Obama family arrived in the area.
Secret Service personnel are prohibited from drinking alcohol within 12 hours of reporting for duty and 24 hours before the president arrives at any trip location.
