LOS ANGELES – Chief Jim McDonnell Nov. 8 was confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council to serve as the 59th Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“I want to thank the Mayor, Police Commission and the City Council for their support, and I look forward to their continued partnership as we look to improve public safety throughout Los Angeles,” said LAPD Chief of Police, Jim McDonnell. “Starting today, the real work begins. By focusing on growing the Department and deepening ties to the community, I believe we can make Los Angeles a safer City.”
On Oct. 4, Mayor Bass announced McDonnell as her selection to serve as the LAPD chief of police. On Oct. 29, the L.A. City Council Public Safety Committee voted to advance McDonnell to the full city council for consideration.
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.
About Chief Jim McDonnell
Chief Jim McDonnell 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 or LASD, the Los Angeles Police Department or LAPD, and the Long Beach Police Department or LBPD.
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 variety of assignments, including homicide, gangs, organized crime, vice, and patrol operations. 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. A press release from Mayor Bass’ office stated that McDonnell, in his four-year term, worked to restore public trust, institutionalize systems of accountability, and work with federal, state and local agencies to combat human trafficking and terrorism, among other regional challenges.
McDonnell 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 or 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.