Introduction to the Controversy
The Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday discontinued its protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris after heavy criticism within its own ranks that officers were being diverted from crime suppression, sources told The Times. LAPD Metropolitan Division officers had been assisting the California Highway Patrol in protecting Harris and were visible until Saturday morning outside her Brentwood home.
Background on the Protection
Both California police agencies scrambled this week to protect Harris after President Trump, her rival in November’s election, revoked Harris’s Secret Service protection last week. President Biden had extended that protection for Harris beyond the six months after leaving office that vice presidents traditionally get. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had directed the LAPD to provide the security team to assist the CHP in the short term. According to sources, those Metro officers had to be drawn away from crime suppression work in the San Fernando Valley this week.
Official Statements
The department is “assisting the California Highway Patrol in providing protective services for former Vice President Kamala Harris until an alternate plan is established,” said Jennifer Forkish, L.A. police communications director, on Thursday. “This temporary coordinated effort is in place to ensure that there is no lapse in security.” The CHP has not indicated how the LAPD’s move would alter its arrangement with the former vice president nor said how long it will continue.
Criticism and Controversy
A dozen or more LAPD officers began working a detail to protect Harris after Trump revoked her Secret Service protection as of Monday. Sources not authorized to discuss the details of the plan said the city would fund the security but that the arrangement was expected to be brief, with Harris hiring her own security in the near future. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, criticized the move. “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,” its board of directors said.
Historical Context
Deploying LAPD officers to protect Harris was a source of controversy within the department in years past. During L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck’s tenure, when Harris was a U.S. senator, plainclothes officers served as security and traveled with her from January 2017 to July 2018. Beck said at the time through a spokesman that the protection was granted based on a threat assessment. Beck’s successor, Michel Moore, ended the protection in July 2018 after he said a new evaluation determined it was no longer needed.
Recent Developments
Former vice presidents usually get Secret Service protection for six months after leaving office, while former presidents are given protection for life. But before his term ended, then-President Biden signed an order to extend Harris’ protection to July 2026. Aides to Harris had asked Biden for the extension. Without it, her security detail would have ended last month, according to sources. The curtailing of Secret Service protection comes as Harris is going to begin a book tour next month for her memoir, titled “107 Days.” The tour has 15 stops, which include visits to London and Toronto. The book title references the short length of her presidential campaign.
Conclusion
The decision by the LAPD to end its protection of former Vice President Kamala Harris amid internal criticism highlights the complexities and challenges of providing security for public figures. The controversy surrounding the use of police resources for Harris’s protection underscores the need for a balanced approach that ensures the safety of both public officials and the general public.
FAQs
- Why did the LAPD discontinue its protection for Kamala Harris?
The LAPD discontinued its protection for Kamala Harris due to internal criticism that officers were being diverted from crime suppression. - Who revoked Kamala Harris’s Secret Service protection?
President Trump revoked Kamala Harris’s Secret Service protection last week. - How long do former vice presidents usually get Secret Service protection?
Former vice presidents usually get Secret Service protection for six months after leaving office. - Why was Kamala Harris’s Secret Service protection extended?
Then-President Biden signed an order to extend Harris’ protection to July 2026 at the request of her aides. - What is the current arrangement for Kamala Harris’s security?
The current arrangement for Kamala Harris’s security is not clear, as the CHP has not indicated how the LAPD’s move would alter its arrangement with the former vice president.
