LA Council Committee to Vote on Mayor’s Choice for LAPD Chief – Daily News

A Los Angeles City Council committee will meet Tuesday to consider Mayor Karen Bass’ nomination of former Los Angeles Sheriff Jim McDonnell as the next LAPD chief.

The five-member public safety committee will meet in a special meeting in the council chambers of City Hall. City Council members will have an opportunity to question McDonnell and assess his plans to lead the nation’s third-largest police department.

On October 4, Bass announced that McDonnell was her choice to lead the Los Angeles Police Department, replacing former Chief Michel Moore, who retired in February. Dominic Choi is interim chief.

McDonnell was one of three finalists for the position, joining LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Assistant Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos, who worked with District Attorney George Gascón’s office as chief of investigations.

Bass described McDonnell as “one of America’s top law enforcement professionals” and a “nationally recognized thought leader in public safety.” She expressed her confidence in McDonnell to keep LA safe as the region hosts major sporting events in the coming years.

Some observers had expected Bass to pick a woman or a Latino to fill the chief’s post; both would be the first. But in the end, she chose McDonnell, who is White.

“Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles is both appalled and outraged by the mayor’s choice,” BLM-LA said in a statement released on October 7. “We will continue our work to hold police accountable and challenge elected officials who prioritize their own political ambitions over community interests.”

But Bass defended her selection, saying public safety was her top priority.

“Our city still has a lot of work to do to prepare and welcome the world,” Bass said earlier. “For me, the most important thing, as I said from the beginning, is keeping this city safe. We needed one of the best law enforcement professionals in our country – and I have every confidence in them – willing to come back to the department and lead us at a time when the department needs to be transformed internally and the city needs to feel safe . and we must prepare to welcome the world. And I feel very strong and confident in that decision.

McDonnell served 29 years with the LAPD, holding several ranks leading up to first assistant chief before retiring in 2010 to lead the Long Beach Police Department, where he served for nearly five years.

In 2014, McDonnell was elected the 32nd sheriff of Los Angeles County. He lost his bid for re-election to Alex Villanueva in 2018.