Cops for Celebrities, Not for Justices

Athletes and Entertainers get the VIP Treatment

Security of the Supreme Court justices has been a worrisome issue ever since early May when someone working at the Court leaked a draft of the Dobbs v. Jackson opinion that would eventually overturn Roe v. Wade. The heightened security concern was justified when on June 8, 2022, a California man was arrested while in the final stages of what he admitted was a plan to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Predictably, much of the national media has been low-key or even silent on the incident. For example, the New York Times buried the assassination story on page A20. Aside from releasing one statement, President Joe Biden has not publicly addressed the assassination attempt despite having several public appearance opportunities to do so.

Just recently, Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley, who has responsibility for security of the high court and justices when they are present, pleaded with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich over what some viewed as foot-dragging in providing stepped-up security for justices living in Maryland during heightened tensions.

A spokesman for the Maryland governor pushed back, claiming Hogan and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin sent a joint letter to US Attorney-General Merrick Garland requesting the Justice Department enforce 18 U.S. Code § 1507, the federal law that prohibits picketing and protesting outside justices’ homes that is intended to intimidate judges. Garland denied the request. (As an aside, does anyone believe Garland would have declined a request for additional protection if the justices facing death threats were Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg instead of Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett?)

There are just nine justices on the Supreme Court and providing additional security measures shouldn’t overwhelm the Justice Department that controls most of the more than 132,000 federal law enforcement officers. Violent groups such as Jane’s Revenge promised additional violence against entities it views as pro-life since the June 24 release of the Dobbs v. Jackson opinion.

The state of Maryland has claimed it cannot offer further security to justices living in the state. This is curious since the state has been very generous in the past in offering taxpayer-funded police services to celebrities, including entertainers and sports figures.

The Maryland Transportation Authority police provided armed VIP escort service to sports and entertainment celebrities at BWI Airport when traveling on commercial flights. Recipients included celebrities such as Rosie O’Donnell, Bruce Springsteen, John Travolta, and retired baseball players Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray. This very special MTA police service allowed celebrities to avoid having to wait in the same check-in and TSA security lines as all other travelers.

It's not fully known if MTA actually ended the celebrity escort practice since the agency ordered the destruction of existing records and to end all recordkeeping of the practice.

Using taxpayer resources to give VIP treatment to celebrities was not confined just to Maryland. Police in nearby Washington, DC have done likewise. The Metropolitan Police Department gave private escort services to Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera when visiting the nation’s capital. Charlie Sheen was given one better when he was transported from National Airport in speeding police cars with flashing lights and sirens. It is unknown if the costs of these services were reimbursed by the beneficiaries.

At least billionaire Bill Gates and rapper Jay-Z were invoiced when MPD gave them police escorts to get in and around the city. But there is no word if the invoices were actually paid. It’s worth noting the officer who blew the whistle on DC’s celebrity escort service claims he was a victim of retaliation at work.

Celebrity escorts isn’t the MPD’s only private ride share blemish. This spring, an undercover news operation discovered squad cars were used to shuttle a police commander between his home and area bars. At least he wasn’t driving under the influence.

The Big Apple has also taken care of the rich and beautiful. In 2011, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs was driven from a concert to a nightclub appearance by the New York Police Department. A Little League team featuring a girl pitcher was escorted by an NYPD officer from their appearance on the Today Show to their awaiting bus in 2014.

And a Hollywood actress who isn’t an NYPD detective but plays on TV got a lift for her family and herself to the US Open, courtesy of the real NYPD.

In 2018, nearby Newark, New Jersey sent officers with flashing lights and sirens to fetch none other than New York City DJ Funkmaster Flex so he could attend the birthday party of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. (Don’t ask. Funkmaster Flex must be that important.)

Elsewhere in New York in 2020, the Syracuse Police Department escorted NFL players Tom Brady and Julian Edelman, and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon to a Syracuse University basketball game. After a public outcry, the celebrities’ gameday host offered to reimburse the city for the police costs.

It’s not just Yankees territory where police services seem amiss. In May 2006, Boston Police rushed baseball catcher Doug Mirabelli, acquired hours earlier in a trade for the Red Sox, from Logan Airport to Fenway Park so he could play in that evening’s game.

Not all celebrity escorts are gimmies. Miami Beach suburb Opa-Locka authorities suspended three police officers who gave an unauthorized escort to Justin Beiber from the Miami airport. The officers reportedly took Bieber to a local strip club en route to his final destination.

The city of Indianapolis has disclosed its extensive laundry list of who qualifies for police escorts when attending the Indianapolis 500:

·       Local, state and federal officials

·       Military

·       Sports celebrities and “politically associated persons important to the city”

·       “Longtime community partners that benefit the city/department; police foundation, IMPD motorcycle drill team, PAL (the Police Action League) etc.”

·       Families of officers working the event

·       Drivers and their families

·       Medical personnel

·       Media

Full disclosure: I once traveled to Indianapolis for a news story. I drove myself to and from the airport.

Assigning police officers to celebrity escort duties, when they are needed elsewhere, can have serious and deadly consequences. Chicago has been one of the nation’s deadliest cities for several years. In 2012, the city pulled as many as 200 police officers off the streets and used them in various roles including as security and traffic control for the wedding of Laura Jarrett. Few may know Laura Jarrett is the daughter of Valerie Jarrett, who is a long-time friend and senior adviser to then-President Barack Obama.

Chicago was averaging just under a murder a day, at that time. However, eight people were killed that wedding weekend. The windy city would go on to lead the nation with 506 murders by year’s end.  And the city was not reimbursed for the costs of the officers pulling wedding duty.

Misaligning law enforcement resources to public safety needs continues to be a problem plaguing Chicago. As I noted in an earlier column (Guns in America, June 14, 2022), the Chicago Police Department is plagued with a shortage of more than 1,100 police officers. Yet, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has a police security detail of 91 officers dedicated to her, her office, and her home.

Speaking of Valerie Jarrett, she was the first-known White House adviser to be given routine Secret Service protection and full-time car-and-driver service. No White House adviser prior to Jarrett is reported to have gotten round-the-clock federal protective services.

There are too many star-struck cities providing escort, security, and other law enforcement services to entertainment and sports celebrities, and even to billionaires. Oftentimes without compensation. It is irresponsible and inexcusable especially when crime rates are skyrocketing.

Meanwhile, providing critically needed protection for nine Supreme Court justices – even in light of an assassination attempt - is apparently too much to ask.

Mark Hyman is an Emmy award-winning investigative journalist. Follow him on Twitter, Gettr, and Parler at @markhyman, and on Truth Social at @markhyman81.

His books Washington Babylon: From George Washington to Donald Trump, Scandals That Rocked the Nation and Pardongate: How Bill and Hillary Clinton and their Brothers Profited from Pardons are on sale now (here and here).