Jim McDonnell, former LA County sheriff, takes helm as new LAPD chief

As the new chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, former sheriff Jim McDonnell said Friday he plans to rebuild the law enforcement agency's relationship with the public, recruit and hire more officers and tackle crime and public safety in the city of LA.

Mayor Karen Bass appointed the former Los Angeles County sheriff the new head of the LAPD during a Friday news conference, where both spoke about concerns over public safety, officer morale and the city's preparations ahead of international events including the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Bass said the search spanned nationwide and she spoke with potential candidates from other cities but McDonnell was ultimately selected since he "understands the complexity of Los Angeles."

"Today, we are making sure that Los Angeles has the right leader in place," Bass told reporters.

While the search spanned nationwide, Bass said she decided to appoint McDonnell given his combination of experience, including more than 40 years in law enforcement and in the academic sphere of policing. Most recently, McDonnell served as the director of the Safe Communities Initiative within the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Struggling morale among officers amid staff shortages and concerns over public safety and crime were some of the chief challenges named in a 15-page report from the mayor's office on the search for the next chief. McDonnell named some of those issues as he spoke before reporters Friday.

"In simplest terms, my goals are to enhance public safety, to grow our department back to full strength through a solid recruitment and retention campaign, to strengthen public trust — the foundation of all that we do — and to further develop community relationships and to be able to take that to new levels," McDonnell said, adding that he wants to "ensure respectful and constitutional policing practices in all that we do."

The report from the mayor's office — which included input from civil rights advocates, business and faith leaders, and officers themselves — noted problems with favoritism in disciplinary processes as officers from different ranks are treated differently. There were also concerns expressed over declining foot traffic amid public safety fears as well as the need to address the needs of different communities. 

"I think there's work that needs to be done in the LAPD," Bass said Friday," There's a lot that needs to be done. I will continue to pay attention to representation, particularly with the Latino population, which we know is half the city of Los Angeles."

McDonnell, who graduated from the LAPD Police Academy 43 years ago, started his career in law enforcement at the LAPD and spent 29 years with the agency before becoming chief of the Long Beach Police Department.

In 2014, McDonnell was elected LA County Sheriff but was ousted by another veteran law enforcement officer who promised to "clean house." McDonnell had taken over in 2018 after Lee Baca led the agency for 26 years. He was sentenced to three years in prison in 2017 for obstructing an FBI investigation into Los Angeles jails amid allegations of abuse and bribery by guards.