Pittsfield, MA – The U.S. Secret Service is out of control. Reports came in today that a Secret Service detail attached to Vice President Kamala Harris broke into a local business to use the private business as a public restroom for the day, without the owner’s knowledge or permission.
Worse, they taped up the security camera at the front door to cover their tracks. What they didn’t know was that the cameras inside were fully functional.
In a scenario straight out of a sitcom, the U.S. Secret Service recently found itself in the awkward position of apologizing to a Massachusetts salon owner after a series of questionable decisions that left her feeling more than a little violated.
Picture this: It’s the day of a big fundraiser for Vice President Kamala Harris, and Alicia Powers, the owner of Four One Three Salon in Pittsfield, is already aware that she needs to close up shop due to security protocols.
No big deal, right? But what she didn’t expect was for the Secret Service to make themselves a little too at home.
The Secret Service agents, tasked with keeping the area secure, decided to use Powers’ salon as their personal pit stop. According to Powers, the agents broke into her locked salon, covered her security cameras with duct tape, and proceeded to allow a parade of people—presumably fellow agents and security personnel—to use her bathroom for nearly two hours.
What’s worse? They left the place in a mess, with the front door unlocked and the tape still covering the security cameras when they left. Powers only discovered the full extent of the intrusion when she reviewed the security footage after getting an alert about the incident. The sight of strangers casually strolling in and out of her salon, alarms blaring, was not what she had in mind for a Saturday.
They were even caught stealing candy from the business as the security alarm sounded, laughing about what they had done.
Initially, Powers’ attempts to get answers were met with dismissals. It wasn’t until Business Insider reached out for comment that the Secret Service admitted their mistake. They offered an apology and even promised to cover any damages, including the cost of resetting the alarm and cleaning the salon. But the damage to Powers’ sense of security was already done (DNyuz).
The Secret Service explained that such actions were not typical and that they value their relationships with local businesses. Still, one has to wonder if they’ll think twice before commandeering another bathroom without permission. As Powers put it, she probably would have welcomed them with open arms (and maybe even coffee and donuts) if they’d only had the courtesy to ask.
This incident is a reminder that even the most serious security operations can have their share of slip-ups—some more embarrassing than others.