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Secret Service broke into salon and used bathroom during Harris’ campaign appearance in Pittsfield
Massachusetts

Secret Service broke into salon and used bathroom during Harris’ campaign appearance in Pittsfield

Local news

Vice President Kamala Harris hosted an event in Pittsfield last month. The owner of a nearby salon said agents taped over a security camera and entered without permission.

Secret Service broke into salon and used bathroom during Harris’ campaign appearance in Pittsfield

Security was tight when Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport last month ahead of a campaign rally in Pittsfield. Stephanie Scarbrough/pool, AFP via Getty Images

  • Harris hosts her first fundraiser in Massachusetts as likely Democratic candidate

When Vice President Kamala Harris stopped by Pittsfield for a campaign rally last month, Secret Service agents reportedly taped over a security camera at a nearby salon and broke in to use a restroom.

The salon owner was surprised by the incident and told local news station iBerkshires that agents set off the store’s alarm for hours, leaving behind a mess.

The Four One Three Salon is located very close to the Colonial Theater, where Harris held her campaign rally. Alicia Powers, the owner of the salon, said security was beefed up well before the event. The business was subject to bomb disposal and she decided to keep it closed the day of Harris’ event, according to iBerkshires.

That morning, Powers saw surveillance footage of someone taping over an outdoor security camera. Later, she saw through other cameras that the store was being used by Secret Service agents and emergency responders.

Powers reportedly left her business premises locked, but the Secret Service was still able to gain access.

“I pay taxes, I have everything under control, it was just a violation. I thought, ‘Wow, this can happen without permission,’ and it really blew my mind,” she told iBerkshires.

A video of the outdoor camera transfer was published by Business Insider.

“For about an hour and a half, there were several people out there on and off – they were just using my bathroom, the alarms were going off, they were using my counter, without permission,” Powers told Business Insider.

When Powers arrived at the salon later that afternoon, she spoke with paramedics who said someone dressed all in black had told them to use the salon’s restroom. Powers interpreted this as a reference to the Secret Service. The restroom was left “disgustingly dirty,” she told iBerkshires.

After contacting local law enforcement officials, Powers finally received a call from a Secret Service representative who apologized, said they should have asked for permission, and offered to cover the cost of cleaning and installing the alarm.

“The U.S. Secret Service works closely with our partners in the business community to conduct our protective and investigative missions,” spokeswoman Melissa McKenzie said in a statement to Boston.com. “The Secret Service has since communicated with the affected business owner.”

“We value these relationships highly and our staff would not enter a store or direct our partners to enter a store without the owner’s permission,” McKenzie said.

“They left the tape on my camera and left my back door completely unlocked,” Powers said The Berkshire Eagle“What could have happened in the hour and a half or two that you left the building unlocked?”

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