The Secret Service is getting an abundance of unwanted media attention, but the author of a book on the group charged with protecting the president says this scandal doesn’t come as a surprise to him and may actually help to spark some much need changes in the organization. Ron Kessler is author of “In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents they Protect”. Kessler says Secret Service management has become increasingly sloppy over the years so it’s to be expected that attitude would trickle down to agents in the field. Kessler describes how basic security procedures are overlooked, critical tests are falsified and weapons standards are well behind the FBI and others. He also reports that agents are afraid to reject requests outside their job descriptions because Secret Service leaders routinely side with egotistical leaders and their family members and against agents who don’t want to be treated like hired help. Kessler explains what changes are needed to improve the agency and he tells us why outside oversight is necessary to make the changes stick.