Did KCPD officer do security for Taylor Swift in Wisconsin? | Kansas City Star

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A Kansas City police captain who is also the husband of Police Chief Stacey Graves appeared to be working as private security for Taylor Swift when the Kansas City Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin on Sunday.

Capt. Daniel Graves was seen in photographs and videos accompanying Swift as the megastar walked into Lambeau Field with Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Lindsay Bell, who is married to Chiefs tight end Blake Bell.

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Swift, who has been dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce for several months, has attended several games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Sunday was the second time she attended an away game.

Kansas City Police Department policy places restrictions on officers’ outside employment, including private security and off-duty security work at venues such as Arrowhead.

Section IV of policy 630 on “secondary employment” says members are only allowed to work law enforcement-related outside jobs inside the city limits of Kansas City.

Another portion of the policy says members may be employed within the city limits by private security companies. But they are forbidden to obtain private officer commissions, or to act as private security personnel.

Video clips from Sunday’s game show Swift and the NFL wives walking in with four security people who kept close eye on people nearby. Two walked in front of the women, one stayed close to Swift, and Graves walked behind.

When Mahomes and Bell peeled off from the group to head to the field, Graves and the other security men walked on with Swift. One of the guards yelled to Mahomes, “I’ll send someone down for you.”

One of the security men was also with Swift when she performed last month in Argentina, one night leading her, Kelce and Swift’s father, Scott Swift, through a packed restaurant where she introduced her dad to her new boyfriend.

Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesperson, wrote in an email to The Star, “Captain Graves was not on duty or working in a Law Enforcement/Police capacity or authority at that time, he was not performing any KCPD function.”

Becchina provided a hyperlink to the police department’s policy on secondary employment.

He also said, “For all other aspects of your inquiry I’d refer you to Taylor Swift, or her representative(s).”

In a follow up email, Becchina said the inquiries about Graves were not related to any police department activity.

“As always we are happy to discuss operations or actions by KCPD or on duty members of KCPD in any official capacity, This is not that,” he said.

Becchina said Chief Graves and Capt. Graves were not available Tuesday to speak to a reporter.

Paparazzi presence new to KC

Like many high-profile celebrities, Swift travels with a plainclothes security team at all times. When she’s in New York City, where her main residence is, she is followed by fans and paparazzi who are kept at arm’s length by her bodyguards.

In Kansas City, her security people have been photographed with her at Arrowhead and even holding a big black umbrella over her head several times as she boarded her private jet.

Her relationship with Kelce has drawn unprecedented paparazzi attention and presence to Kansas City over the last two months.

Photographers and Swift fans hung out on the street around Kelce’s home in the Northland, annoying neighbors — one reason it’s thought he bought a home in a Johnson County neighborhood tucked behind locked gates.

And yet that hasn’t stopped paparazzi who have flown drones over the home and sold images of gardeners working around the swimming pool and, most recently, moving vans parked in front of the house.

The Swift camp doesn’t publicly discuss her security needs, nor do most celebrity representatives. For instance, last month when a security guard who protected her during the Eras Tour over the summer left to return home to Israel and fight against Hamas, Swift’s rep did not respond to Variety’s questions about who had employed him or how closely he worked with the singer.

Swift now a KC regular

Swift has made a handful of trips to Kansas City since she and the Chiefs tight end struck up a relationship, possibly as early as the summer after she performed in July at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

On Sept. 24 she surprised fans by showing up in an Arrowhead suite with Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce, to watch the Chiefs play the Chicago Bears.

After the game, Kelce and Swift drove away from the stadium in one of his vintage cars, seemingly without a police escort, or at least not one that was photographed.

She returned to Kansas City for two more home games in October and came to town after her first Eras Tour stops in South America.

Most recently she was in Kansas City last week, attending a Christmas party with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes and other Chiefs players on Friday before flying to Sunday’s game in Green Bay with Brittany Mahomes.

She was photographed leaving Kansas City, with her security detail, Tuesday morning, reportedly heading home to New York.

This story was originally published December 05, 2023 5:08 PM.