By JOSE HERRERA
City News Service
Eight months after former Chief of Police Michel Moore retired, on Friday, Nov. 8, the Los Angeles City Council will consider the appointment of Jim McDonnell as the 59th leader of the Los Angeles Police Department — the third largest law enforcement agency in the nation.
Mayor Karen Bass nominated McDonnell to take on the role in October, following a nationwide search. He was among three finalist for the job alongside LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Assistant Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos, who has been working with District Attorney George Gascón’s office as head of investigations.
Interim Police Chief Dominic Choi, who has been leading the department since March, is expected to step down and become one of three assistant chiefs under the anticipated new head.
McDonnell would be taking over a department that will deal with major security issues in the coming years as the region hosts the Olympics, a Super Bowl and the World Cup.
On Oct. 29, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted 4-1 to advance McDonnell’s nomination. Sitting member Hugo Soto-Martinez opposed his nomination citing concerns some residents have made over McDonnell’s past policies on immigration.
Committee members questioned McDonnell on various subjects and issues impacted in the Los Angeles Police Department — from recruitment woes to boosting morale, and unarmed response initiatives and improving relationships with the city’s residents.
Other issues council members raised were ongoing efforts to reform the department’s disciplinary process, use of pretextual stops and how to limit liability claims stemming from officer misconduct, among other things.
McDonnell, who served as the county sheriff from 2014 to 2018, allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into county jails. In 2017, he also opposed state Senate Bill 54, which established California as a sanctuary state, limiting law enforcement agencies’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“I know my role very clearly as chief of police,” McDonnell said. “I work for the police commission, for the mayor, with the council and we work as partners in public safety.”
“It’s not something that we’re going to step out and do something differently or counter to what everybody else in the city is focused on as policy,” he added. “Our role is operational to protect all of our communities equally and do that to the best of our ability.”
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, chair of the committee, thanked McDonnell for his stated commitment to engaging with the city’s stakeholders on public safety.
“It’s when we meet with our detractors that we garner the most wisdom and find a path to move forward,” Rodriguez said.
Members of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights also opposed McDonnell’s nomination, and urged council members to make Los Angeles a sanctuary city, which would formally enshrine protections for its immigrant community.
Bass had praised the committee’s vote.
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“Chief McDonnell has pledged to serve all Angelenos,” Bass said in a statement. “He is a leader, an innovator and a change-maker, and I am looking forward to working with him to grow and strengthen LAPD, deepen relationships with communities across the city and make sure that Los Angeles is vigilant and prepared for anything that comes our way.”
McDonnell served with the LAPD for 29 years, and held several ranks leading up to first assistant chief of police before he retired in 2010 to lead the Long Beach Police Department, where he served for almost five years.
McDonnell previously said his goals were enhancing public safety in the city, “to grow our department back to full strength” and “to strengthen public trust, the foundation of all we do,” and develop community relationships, while ensuring “respectful and constitutional policing practices.”