Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign recently promoted an endorsement from a “leading” law enforcement group, Police Leaders for Community Safety, but the organization has only been active for a few months and is headed by a seasoned Democratic political strategist.
The group, which publicly backed Harris on September 23, was officially launched on June 11, according to their press release. IRS registration documents reveal that the group is led by Gail Hoffman, a long-time Democratic operative who served on John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and held senior positions in the Clinton administration, according to her online biography. Hoffman has no professional background in law enforcement.
Despite these ties to the Democratic Party and the organization’s recent formation, Fox News Digital initially referred to Police Leaders for Community Safety as a “leading law enforcement group” in a pre-release of the endorsement that was later used in Harris’ campaign promotion. However, Fox News later altered its headline, removing the term “leading” and clarifying that the organization consists of former law enforcement officials rather than being a major law enforcement body.
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the largest police organization in the U.S., challenged the characterization of Police Leaders for Community Safety as a prominent group. A spokesperson for FOP stated to the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) that, prior to the group’s endorsement announcement, they were entirely unfamiliar with it. They added, “We are very active and involved in nearly every law enforcement-related meeting in Washington, D.C., and have never encountered this group or heard of its objectives.”
The Fraternal Order of Police officially endorsed former President Donald Trump on September 6, highlighting the contrast with Police Leaders for Community Safety’s claim to be “the only national police leadership organization that endorses candidates for political office” in their support for Harris.
In response to the criticism, Police Leaders for Community Safety defended their standing as a legitimate law enforcement organization. A spokesperson stated that while the group formally registered with the IRS in 2023, it had been informally active since 2022, and the public launch in June 2024 marked its formal introduction. The organization lists a few dozen members, almost all retired, on its “national advisory board.”
For comparison, the Fraternal Order of Police currently has around 377,000 members, according to their press release.
Harris’ campaign did not address whether calling Police Leaders for Community Safety a “leading” organization was accurate, instead emphasizing that they had used the same terminology as Fox News. They declined to comment further after Fox modified its headline.
Police Leaders for Community Safety maintained its nonpartisan stance in its statement to the DCNF, asserting that it includes Democrats, Republicans, and independents, and that its endorsements are based on issues pertinent to law enforcement, not political affiliations.
Nonetheless, all five members of the organization’s board of directors have Democratic affiliations or have publicly expressed liberal views. David Mahoney, the treasurer, ran as a Democrat for sheriff in Dane County, Wisconsin, in 2018. Susan Riseling, the board chair, regularly uses social media to support Democratic causes and criticize Republicans. Vice Chair Rick Myers has voiced support for increased gun control and labeled the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot as an “insurrection.” Cynthia Herriott, the final board member, was a registered Democrat as of 2021. All three are retired police chiefs.
The group’s endorsement of Harris stated: “Police Leaders for Community Safety is the only national police leadership organization that endorses candidates for political office, and this is the group’s first endorsement. This and future endorsements will be based on candidates’ alignment on issues vital to law enforcement.”
During the 2020 election cycle, Harris expressed support for the defund the police movement multiple times.