Secret Service equity director says DEI agenda is a 'mission imperative,' the 'ultimate goal'
The director of equity at the Secret Service calls it a "mission imperative" and the "ultimate goal" to spread DEI within the agency, with the agency hosting seminars on "respectful use of pronouns."
The executive director of the Secret Services' Office of Equity Loucious Hires III discussed diversity, equity and inclusion, "a topic that is difficult for some to talk about," on the official government podcast "Standing Post" in February 2023. The agency said it was striving to be the "gold standard" of DEI in a recruitment brochure that same year.
During the podcast, the equity director outlined how every action at the Secret Service should be informed by DEI and claimed the ideology makes the organization stronger. Every employee should consider how every action is reflective of equity, according to the director.
"I could talk on and on what the agency is doing to promote diversity, equity and inclusion… DEI is every action every day," he said. "So the opportunity for improvement for every employee within the Secret Service is to ask themselves, ‘What action are you doing every day?’"
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"Part of the things that we need to continue to do more is to be open and speak openly about diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. And when every one of us within this agency can say this is a mission imperative, then we have achieved our ultimate goal," he said during the podcast.
The Secret Service established a group of the agency’s "Game Changers" to form the "Inclusion Engagement Council" (IEC).
"The IEC’s collective duty is to help the Secret Service build, foster, create, and inspire a workforce where diversity and inclusion is not just 'talked about' -- but demonstrated by all employees through ‘Every Action, Every Day,’" the Secret Service's website says.
The IEC wants to go beyond pushing for equal employment opportunities, to change the culture "outside the agency’s mandated requirements."
"Having a diverse workforce enhances cross-cultural awareness. A successful organization is a cohesive one, where all members have mutual respect for each other’s diversity and culture," the Secret Service said on its website.
Andrew "Drew" Cannady, a supervisory attorney-advisor for the Secret Service’s Office of Chief Counsel, explained how the agency has been going to Pride events to recruit candidates and has seen more transgender people in the service as a result.
"We like every other organization. We benefit from diversity. And I actually am seeing more openly… trans recruits out of the training center, law enforcement recruits, which is great," Cannady said on the agency podcast in 2022.
Cannady provides advice and counsel on personnel, human resources, security clearance and other employment law matters at the agency. He said the Secret Service has put on programming to educate its workforce on how to use pronouns.
"We will put on things during Unity Day, which, you know, for listeners, is the annual day of the Secret Service, where we celebrate various groups… that the Secret Service has in its workforce. And, you know, during that, we've hosted things like a seminar on the respectful use of pronouns, to sort of try to educate the workforce," he said. "Because some of this stuff, you know, is cutting edge and new and people that just may not be familiar with it."
"We're going to have, I think, a Secret Service booth at Capitol Pride here in D.C. We're going to do something in Atlanta and New York. It's really a chance for us to be physically present at these Pride events. And, you know, people who might be curious about law enforcement or the Secret Service can come talk to members of the community and really get our experience with it. So I'm really excited about it," he added.
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Secret Service has been heavily criticized for its failure to prevent former President Trump from being shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend. Many Republican lawmakers have called for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.
She was appointed by President Biden to lead the Secret Service in 2022, making her only the second woman to ever lead the agency. Prior to this role, Cheatle served as senior director of global security at PepsiCo, where she was responsible for directing and implementing security protocols for the company's facilities in North America.
Critics have accused Cheatle of prioritizing "woke" ideologies rooted in DEI instead of only focusing on hiring the best for the agency. While at the Secret Service, Cheatle has stressed the importance of increasing diversity in the Secret Service.
"Strategy is focused on achieving excellence through talent, technology and diversity," Cheatle said about the agency's strategic plan 2023-27.
"I am very conscious... that we need to attract diverse candidates ...and particularly women," she said in a CBS interview, which reported the agency was looking to increase women recruits to 30% of their workforce.
According to the agency's website, Cheatle is responsible for executing the agency’s integrated mission of "protection and investigations by leading a diverse workforce."
Despite growing calls to step down over the attack, which killed one rally attendee and critically injured two others, Cheatle said she will not resign.