The Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday removed a temporary Metro Division security detail stationed outside former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home after internal and public criticism that patrol officers were being diverted from crime suppression duties.
About a dozen Metro Division officers had been assigned to the residence earlier in the week after President Trump revoked Harris’s Secret Service protection last week, ending an extension that had been granted by the Biden administration. City officials and department sources told the Los Angeles Times the backup detail was gone by Saturday.
The short-lived assignment drew sharp criticism inside the Los Angeles Police Department and from its largest union, the Los Angeles Police Protective League. In a statement posted by the union’s board, the league said, “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.”
Mayor Karen Bass had directed the LAPD to assist the California Highway Patrol in the wake of the change to Harris’s federal protection, according to city officials. The temporary Metro Division presence was intended to augment state resources after the Secret Service decision.
Los Angeles police officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the number of officers assigned or the timeline for the detail. Local television outlets and witnesses reported seeing uniformed officers outside the residence earlier in the week before the city discontinued the extra staffing.
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of how local resources are allocated when changes in federal protective details affect high-profile figures. Secret Service protection for former presidents, vice presidents and certain other officials can be extended by sitting presidents; news outlets reported the Biden administration had continued protection for Harris after she left office, and the Trump administration recently reversed that course.
City and law enforcement officials said the decision to withdraw the LAPD temporary detail was aimed at restoring officers to regular duties, including crime-suppression assignments in areas such as the San Fernando Valley, where the union said officers had been reassigned. The union and some rank-and-file officers expressed frustration that specialized Metro Division personnel were used for a residential security presence instead of street-level crime-fighting.
The department’s action underscores the often complex coordination between municipal police, state patrol agencies and federal protection services when safety arrangements for public figures change. Officials said the city would continue to coordinate with the California Highway Patrol and federal authorities on necessary security measures, while prioritizing the restoration of regular patrol assignments across Los Angeles.
Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The LAPD and the mayor’s office declined to provide additional details on how long the temporary detail had been in place or on any interim security arrangements now in effect.