LAPD Ends Security Detail For Kamala Harris After Backlash
The Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday ended its short-lived protection of former Vice President Kamala Harris after mounting criticism from within its own ranks that officers were being diverted from crime suppression duties.
LAPD’s Metropolitan Division officers had been assisting the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in guarding Harris at her Brentwood home after President Donald Trump revoked her Secret Service detail earlier this week. Harris had been granted an extended security package by former President Joe Biden beyond the traditional six months afforded to former vice presidents, but Trump rescinded the order, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass directed the LAPD to provide immediate support to the CHP, but the arrangement drew sharp backlash as officers were pulled away from neighborhood patrols in the San Fernando Valley.
On Thursday, LAPD spokeswoman Jennifer Forkish confirmed the city was “assisting the California Highway Patrol in providing protective services for former Vice President Kamala Harris until an alternate plan is established.” She described the arrangement as temporary and aimed at preventing a lapse in coverage.
By Saturday, however, the LAPD had withdrawn from the assignment, leaving the CHP as the primary agency responsible for Harris’ protection. The CHP has not explained how it will adjust its coverage moving forward or how long it will remain in place.
A dozen or more LAPD officers had been reassigned to the detail since Trump revoked the Secret Service protection on Monday. According to sources familiar with the plan, the city was funding the operation, but Harris was expected to secure private protection in the near future. Fox 11 News first broke the story earlier this week after spotting LAPD officers outside Harris’ residence.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents the city’s rank-and-file officers, blasted the decision to provide taxpayer-funded security for Harris.
“Pulling police officers from protecting everyday Angelenos to protect a failed presidential candidate who also happens to be a multi-millionaire… and who can easily afford to pay for her own security, is nuts,” the union board of directors said in a statement. “Mayor Karen Bass should tell Governor Newsom that if he wants to curry favor with Ms. Harris and her donor base, then he should open up his own wallet because LA taxpayers should not be footing the bill for this ridiculousness.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed off on CHP protection, has not publicly confirmed details of the arrangement. His office said only that “the safety of our public officials should never be subject to erratic, vindictive political impulse.”
Bass, meanwhile, criticized Trump for revoking Harris’ Secret Service protection. “This is another act of revenge following a long list of political retaliation in the form of firings, the revoking of security clearances, and more,” Bass said. “This puts the former Vice President in danger and I look forward to working with the governor to make sure Vice President Harris is safe in Los Angeles.”
Her office issued a follow-up statement Saturday thanking the LAPD for its temporary support and noting the plan had always been intended as short-term.
This is not the first time Harris has received LAPD protection. During her tenure as a U.S. senator, then-Police Chief Charlie Beck authorized plainclothes LAPD officers to accompany her from January 2017 to July 2018. That protection was withdrawn by his successor, Michel Moore, after a reassessment concluded it was unnecessary.
Traditionally, former vice presidents receive six months of Secret Service protection after leaving office, while former presidents are protected for life. Biden, however, extended Harris’ coverage through July 2026 before leaving office. Aides to Harris had requested the extension. Without it, her protection would have expired last month.
The cutback comes just as Harris prepares to launch a 15-stop book tour for her memoir, 107 Days, with events scheduled in the United States, London, and Toronto.
