Jim McDonnell to serve as the 59th Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass today announced she has selected Jim McDonnell to serve as the 59th Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, saying that her choice was guided by her commitment to reducing crime and making L.A. safer in every neighborhood. 

“From the beginning, I have been clear: My top priority as mayor is to ensure that Angelenos and our neighborhoods are safer today than yesterday,” Mayor Bass said. “Chief McDonnell 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.”

“I began the LAPD Academy 43 years ago. I love this city – and I understand the modern-day challenges our officers face in working to protect it,” said Chief McDonnell. “It is a tremendous honor to lead the men and women of the LAPD. I will work hard to make sure their work to keep Angelenos safe is supported. Mayor Bass’s efforts on public safety reflect thoughtful, compassionate, and solution-oriented approaches to policing. I greatly appreciate her confidence in me and I look forward to working closely with her to make Los Angeles a safer city.”

Chief McDonnell said that his goals are to:

• Enhance public safety;

• Grow LAPD back to full strength through recruitment and retention;

• Strengthen public trust;

• Further develop community relationships;

• Ensure respectful and constitutional policing practices; and

• Prepare LAPD and our partners for the challenges ahead.

“The Los Angeles Police Commission stands with Mayor Bass and her firm commitment to reducing crime, growing LAPD, improving officer morale and building the future of public safety here in Los Angeles – so that every Angeleno feels safe and is safe in their neighborhoods,” said Police Commission President Dr. Erroll Southers. “We also share Mayor Bass’ belief that trust between law enforcement and the people they are charged to protect and to serve is an essential pillar in a democracy, and I know that trust will become stronger after today. I commend Mayor Bass’s decision to appoint Jim McDonnell as Chief, and I am grateful for his willingness to serve.”

Last month, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a summary report following meetings with hundreds of LAPD officers and community leaders about what they are looking for in the next Chief of Police. Mayor Karen Bass met with law enforcement, community leaders, business leaders and entrepreneurs, and residents across the City of Los Angeles to discuss qualities they want to see in the next leader of LAPD prior to today’s announcement. The City Council will now vote on whether to confirm Mayor Bass’ selection. 

About Chief Jim McDonnell

Chief Jim McDonnell is a proven leader, innovator and change maker in law enforcement. He has served for more than forty years in the public safety profession and is the first person to serve in senior executive leadership positions in the three largest policing agencies in Los Angeles County: the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). During his tenure, all three agencies saw a reduction in crime and improved police-community relations.   

Beginning his career with the LAPD, McDonnell served there for twenty-nine years and held every rank up to First Assistant Chief of Police. He worked a wide variety of assignments, including homicide, gangs, organized crime, vice, and patrol operations. Early in his tenure at the LAPD, McDonnell played an integral role in developing the framework for community policing that would transform the LAPD into a thought leader in community policing strategies.  McDonnell continued to build upon this framework throughout his career. He retired from the LAPD in 2010 to become the Chief of the Long Beach Police Department, where he served for almost five years.

In 2014, McDonnell was elected as the 32nd Sheriff of Los Angeles County to lead the largest sheriff's department in the United States with more than 18,000 employees. McDonnell took over an agency that had been shaken by scandal and, in his four-year term, worked to restore public trust, institutionalize systems of accountability, and work collaboratively and effectively with federal, state and local agencies to combat human trafficking and terrorism, among other regional challenges.  

McDonnell is a respected voice on local, state, and national criminal justice issues. He has served as Vice President of the Major County Sheriffs of America; President of the California Peace Officers’ Association; President of the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association; a board member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; a board member of the Peace Officers’ Association of Los Angeles County; a member of the Major Cities Chiefs Association; and as a member of the California Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards & Training (POST). 

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, McDonnell obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Executive Institute and has completed executive education programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.