Mayor Karen Bass swears in LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell to police academy

Mayor Karen Bass swore in new Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell during a morning ceremony Thursday, Nov. 14, at Elysian Park Academy near downtown, as his wife Kathy looked on — and even straightened his chief’s hat. He will become the 59th chief of the LAPD.

At the academy north of downtown Los Angeles, elected officials and dignitaries witnessed as McDonnell’s wife pinned the chief’s badge on him. To a standing ovation, McDonnell laid out his priorities for his first 90 days as the new leader of the nation’s third-largest law enforcement agency.

“As Chief of Police, I stand ready to work with you to meet our challenges and move forward together with courage, compassion and clear vision as we begin this new chapter,” McDonnell said.

“I am committed to strengthening the public’s trust in the LAPD through community-based innovative policing that prioritizes the needs and concerns of our residents. Our focus will be on building trust through transparency, accountability and commitment to every voice in every neighborhood,” he added.

As chief, his first 90 days will focus on listening, evaluating and planning, he noted. McDonnell is expected to meet with various stakeholders during this “listening period,” which he said will determine the department’s priorities and refine its approach to public safety.

His priorities as chief will be to tackle violent and property crimes by creating specialized teams that can tailor responses to the specific needs of communities; maintaining a state of the department that “champions” accountability, transparency and continuous improvement; helping vulnerable populations such as unhoused Angelenos and the city’s youth; preparation for major events coming to the region; and the responsible implementation of public safety technology.

“Today I stand here, not only as Chief of Police, but as a fellow Angeleno. We are a city of dreamers, of resilience and strength,” said McDonnell. “Every corner of Los Angeles tells a story, and every story is worth protecting.”

Mayor Bass described the celebration as a “new and exciting public safety day” for Los Angeles.

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Jim McDonnell arrives at the LAPD Police Academy on Thursday, November 14, 2024, to be sworn in as the new LAPD Chief. McDonnell became the 59th Los Angeles Police Chief during a ceremony at the LAPD Police Academy. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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She praised McDonnell’s leadership experience — as a 29-year veteran of the LAPD, serving in several ranks leading up to the first assistant chief before leaving in 2010 to lead the Long Beach Police Department, where he spent nearly five years served. In 2014, LA County voters elected him sheriff.

“I know we’ll be prepared for the World Cup, the Olympics and whatever lies ahead,” Bass said.

McDonnell, 65, will lead a force of nearly 9,000 officers. He succeeds former chef Michel Moore, who retired in February. Interim Chief Dominic Choi, who has led the LAPD since March, is expected to become one of three assistant chiefs.

The mayor took a moment to recognize Choi for his “steadfast leadership” over the past six months, as well as the Board of Police Commissioners and the City Council.

After the ceremony, when reporters asked whether the LAPD will be involved in federal immigration enforcement/deportations, McDonnell said:

“I know there is a lot of fear in many of our communities because of the comments about immigration enforcement. The role of the LAPD is very clear. We are not involved in immigration enforcement. We are here for everyone in all our communities.”

He started the job last week after an 11-2 Los Angeles City Council vote supporting the mayor’s choice. He was then formally sworn in during a private ceremony at City Hall. Before the ceremony, the City Council approved McDonnell’s base salary of $450,000, requested by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners.

That’s less than the board’s original proposal of $507,509, but his salary is significantly higher than that of former Chief Moore, who earned a base salary of $391,268 in 2023.

Council members Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez opposed his nomination, citing immigrant community concerns about McDonnell’s past policies as Los Angeles County sheriff from 2014 to 2018, when he allowed federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into the county’s jails .

Councilors Heather Hutt and Kevin de León were absent from that vote.

McDonnell vowed that under his leadership, the LAPD “will not cooperate with ICE at all on immigration enforcement.”

He also said the LAPD’s policies are consistent with Senate Bill 54 — which made California a sanctuary city — and the California Values Act, which was enacted in 2018 and prevents law enforcement agencies from using resources on behalf of federal immigration enforcement agencies. .

According to Bass’ office, that department released 7,842 detainees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2013, before McDonnell’s appointment as county sheriff. After he took office, this number dropped to 820, a drop of 90%.