Microsoft 365 Services Experience Large-Scale Outage, Disrupting Communications for Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies in Los Angeles

on November 13, CBS News reported a large-scale outage of Microsoft 365 services affecting Outlook, Teams, and the AI assistant Copilot, disrupting communication systems at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and several local law enforcement agencies.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stated that the outage has also impacted other critical communication platforms within the department, advising the public and media to temporarily obtain information through their official website. Email communications for the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office were similarly affected.

Data from the outage monitoring website Downdetector showed that during the morning peak on Thursday, Outlook issue reports approached 130,000. Microsoft stated it is investigating issues faced by users accessing Exchange Online mailboxes via different connection methods in the Americas region. As of the time of publication, the service anomalies are still ongoing.