The chart represents the results in a Rasmussen Poll taken on October 3rd and 4th of a random national sample of 1,000 likely voters, with a margin of error of 2 points.
There have been several lapses in security with the Secret Service, both at the White House and traveling with the president. While no one was hurt as a result of these lapses, they do seem to have damaged the reputation of those guarding the president. A majority of the population (53%) now believes these are common occurrences (and we just don't hear about most of them), while only 29% believe these were isolated incidents (and the Secret Service normally does avery good job). About 18% don't know what to think.
I tend to agree with the 29%. No matter how good a police agency of any kind is, there will be a few screw-ups. It's just the nature of the job -- a job done by humans (and no human is perfect). But the survey does show one thing -- the Secret Service now has a serious public relations problem. Their once stellar reputation has taken a hit, and they need to find a way to restore public confidence.
