The arrangements to provide security to Kamala Harris have undergone numerous changes in the past few weeks, with politics seeming to have been injected into the efforts to keep the former vice president safe. In the latest twist, the Los Angeles Police Department will no longer be dedicating officers to protect Harris after objections came from within the police force.
LAPD stops providing Harris protection after complaints over resources
The LAPD has reversed a decision to help provide protection to Harris, only days after the department had started to assist in providing her security. As Blavity previously reported, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass scrambled to organize a protection arrangement for Harris after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled her extended Secret Service detail. In the new arrangement, the California Highway Patrol has stepped up to provide protection for Harris. The LAPD had been supplementing that protection, but the department has decided to no longer assign Los Angeles police officers to protect Harris.
The reversal comes as complaints arose from within the LAPD that officers were being taken away from crime suppression activities in the San Fernando Valley and that police resources were generally stretched thin, according to anonymous sources, per The New York Times. Officers from the LAPD had been seen outside Harris’ residence last week, but as of Saturday morning no LAPD officers were being used to protect her. “The plan was always to provide temporary support and I thank LAPD for protecting former VP Harris and always prioritizing the safety of all Angelenos,” Bass said in a statement Saturday. It is unclear how the withdrawal of LAPD forces will impact CHP’s continuing efforts to protect Harris. The former vice president is expected to start using private security in the near future, but the exact timing of that transition has not been made publicly available.
Politicized decisions over security arrangements for Harris
The turmoil comes in the aftermath of Trump issuing an order that ended Secret Service protection for Harris, which President Joe Biden had ordered to be extended to last an extra year beyond the customary six months after vice presidents leave office. Trump’s move has widely been seen as an act of retaliation against Harris, who ran against him in the 2024 presidential election. Although the removal of LAPD officers has been framed as a matter of resources, just as the withdrawal of Secret Service protection by the White House was described, there are indications that politics has played a role in these decisions. The union representing Los Angeles police officers, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, released a statement praising the decision to cancel LAPD protection for Harris. “We are happy to report that the Metro officers assigned to protect the multimillionaire failed presidential candidate are back on the street fighting crime,” read part of the statement, The New York Times reported.
The turmoil over security for Harris comes at a pivotal time in her political career and public life. The former vice president is preparing to begin a multicity book tour for her new memoir 107 Days, which will recount her whirlwind 2024 presidential campaign. Harris recently announced that she will not run to replace Gavin Newsom as governor of California. She has not yet announced whether or not she will seek the Democratic presidential nomination for 2028, which could pit her against Newsom, a likely candidate. The response to Harris’ new book and her return to the public spotlight may help determine her decision about running again.
While Harris sorts out her political future, she appears to be in a position where she will also have to sort out her security situation. Having been suddenly stripped of her Secret Service detail, it appears she will no longer be relying on the LAPD for protection either, creating one more complication for Harris as she determines her long-term plans.
