LAPD Ends Protection for Former VP Kamala Harris Amid Local Backlash

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has ceased its protective detail for former Vice President Kamala Harris, effective Saturday, following significant internal criticism that officers were being diverted from essential crime suppression duties. This move comes after President Trump, a rival in the upcoming November election, last week revoked Harris’s Secret Service protection, which President Biden had extended beyond the traditional six-month post-office period until July 2026.

Initially, Mayor Karen Bass directed the LAPD to provide a temporary security team to assist the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in safeguarding Harris. Sources indicated that officers from the LAPD’s Metropolitan Division were pulled from crime suppression work in the San Fernando Valley to fulfill this role, sparking immediate controversy. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, representing rank-and-file officers, vehemently criticized the deployment, arguing that city resources should not be used to protect a “multi-millionaire” who could afford private security.

While the LAPD’s communications director, Jennifer Forkish, stated earlier that the department was “assisting the California Highway Patrol… until an alternate plan is established,” Mayor Bass confirmed on Saturday that “The plan was always to provide temporary support.” The CHP has yet to comment on how the LAPD’s withdrawal will impact its ongoing security arrangements for the former Vice President. This security shift occurs as Harris prepares for a book tour next month for her memoir, “107 Days.”

This isn’t the first time Harris’s local security has drawn scrutiny. Similar protective details during her tenure as a U.S. Senator were also met with controversy and eventually discontinued. Despite a recent Secret Service assessment finding no credible threat, the political dispute over her security highlights ongoing tensions between federal and local responsibilities, especially given the upcoming election and the unprecedented revocation of her federal protection.

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