Kamala Harris's Criminal Justice History Explained: Why She Calls Herself the 'Top Cop'
Kamala served as San Francisco's District Attorney and California's Attorney General, but was she ever a cop?
Updated July 22 2024, 1:23 p.m. ET
Big news was announced on July 21, 2024 after President Joe Biden informed the media of his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. He endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee for president, leaving her with the task of selecting a running mate. Kamala is now poised to be the first Black and South Asian American woman to run for president, following her initial run in 2020 before joining Biden's ticket.
Before entering the White House, Kamala served as the junior United States Senator from California. As she now campaigns for president, a lot of information—and misinformation—has surfaced about her, particularly regarding her history with law enforcement. To clear the air, we’re examining a claim that Kamala was a cop in real life, which might explain why she refers to herself as "top cop." Is it true?
Was Kamala Harris really a cop?
Although Kamala was not a police officer herself, she has extensive experience in the criminal justice system, having served as San Francisco's District Attorney (2004-2010) and California's Attorney General (2011-2017). During her tenure in these roles, Kamala was outspoken in her support for increasing police presence on the streets.
In her 2009 book, Smart on Crime, she wrote, “If we take a show of hands of those who would like to see more police officers on the street, mine would shoot up." She added, “Virtually all law-abiding citizens feel safer when they see officers walking a beat.”
Over the years, Harris has called herself the "top cop." The term was used to mean that she was going to be tough on crime, as well as look out for officers.
Reason described her usage of the term as, "A cop, in this context, is someone who will always defer to authority and the status quo, someone who is unaccountable and not to be trusted." Adding, "Calling someone a cop invokes the worst sorts of police overreach, a legalistic authoritarianism that exists for its own sake."
According to CNN, Kamala's experience as a senator in California, along with her background in the criminal justice system, made her one of Biden's top choices for Vice President.
"Ultimately, she was chosen by Joe Biden the 'common sense pick' who everybody could agree would 'do no harm,'" a source familiar with the vetting process said to CNN.
It sounds like Kamala Harris has changed how she sees police officers.
Speaking with Meghan McCain on The View, the California senator spoke about “reimagining how we do public safety in America" and her stance on "defunding the police." During that interview she reiterated that more resources in the community — not more police officers — was a better move.
"So Meghan, I think that a big part of this conversation really is about re-imagining how we do public safety in America, which I support,” Kamala said.
"We have confused the idea that to achieve safety, you put more cops on the street instead of understanding to achieve safe and healthy communities, you put more resources into the public education system of those communities, into affordable housing, into home ownership, into access to capital for small businesses, access to health care regardless of how much money people have. That's how you achieve safe and healthy communities."
It will be interesting to see which points and policies she focuses on during her second bid for president.
Election Day is Nov. 5, 2024, so be sure to register to vote at vote.gov and head to your state’s board of elections for details on requesting a mail-in or absentee ballot.
