Former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Michel Moore pushed back on President Trump’s deployment of military troops to Los Angeles in an op-ed published Friday in The New York Times, calling the move not only “at odds with the principles of our democracy” but “tactically unsound.”
Moore’s op-ed comes after an appeals court temporarily paused a ruling by a federal judge that found Trump’s deployment of the National Guard — which came despite the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) — was illegal. The court is set to hear the matter Tuesday.
Moore served as LAPD chief from 2018 to 2024.
He argued that Trump’s mobilization of the military undermined the effectiveness of local law enforcement trained to address mass protests and that the situation in Los Angeles was nowhere near the crisis level that would warrant troop deployment.
“California’s emergency response infrastructure is among the most advanced in the country. Its emergency management system and mutual aid plan allow it to request help from neighboring law enforcement agencies, the California Highway Patrol and, when needed, the California National Guard. I have overseen the activation of these systems in response to both natural disasters and overwhelming disorder. They work — and they are rooted in principles of local control, coordination and public accountability,” Moore wrote. “Deploying federal troops undermines all three.”
Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) have strenuously pushed back on the presence of military troops, blaming Trump for inflaming the situation — a line that Moore echoed.
“History reminds us of the dangers of blurring these lines. The tragedy at Kent State, where unarmed student protesters were gunned down by National Guard troops, offers a stark warning. The federal government’s deployment of military personnel now risks causing the same escalation, tragic error and lasting damage to public confidence,” he wrote.
Trump, meanwhile, asserted on Wednesday that police in Los Angeles welcomed the move, a claim that current LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell rejected during an appearance Thursday on CNN.
“We’re nowhere near a level where we would be reaching out to the governor for National Guard at this stage,” McDonnell said.
Moore agreed, writing that federal troops should be used “only in cases of widespread collapse of civil authority and only at the explicit request of local leaders.”
“That is not what happened in Los Angeles,” he added. “The deployment appears to have been initiated without meaningful consultation or coordination with city or county officials. That is unacceptable.”
“There is no question that serious unrest and violence have occurred in parts of downtown Los Angeles. Attacks on buildings and threats to public safety must be taken seriously. But this is not an insurrection. These incidents are localized, and local law enforcement agencies are fully capable of addressing them,” Moore wrote.
The military response has appeared haphazard at points.
After Trump declared earlier this week he would deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles, The San Francisco Chronicle published photos of service members sleeping in what appeared to be basements or loading docks. And after Trump announced that an additional 700 Marines would be mobilized to Los Angeles, The Hill reported they had still not completed premission training.
Protests in Los Angeles were initially sparked by outrage over a series of immigration raids in the city. Demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have also cropped up in other cities.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
