Jim McDonnell, former L.A. County Sheriff, appointed next LAPD chief

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Former L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell will be the new chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, taking charge of the force of nearly 9,000 officers as discontent grows among the city's residents over public safety even as violent crime numbers drop.

During a press conference Friday, Mayor Karen Bass made the formal announcement and called McDonnell a "nationally recognized thought leader on public safety."

"Chief McDonnell is a leader, an innovator and a change-maker and that's what we need in L.A.," she added. "I'm appointing Chief McDonnell because he and I have aligned in our desire to change the direction of Los Angeles by preventing crime in the first place, responding urgently when crime takes place, and to hold people accountable and bring down crime."

Former L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell has been appointed as the new chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday.

The appointment follows the retirement of Michel Moore earlier this year. Moore's tenure was marked by greater scrutiny into excessive force and police killings of civilians in the nation's second-largest city. Dominic Choi had been serving as the interim chief since then.

As the incoming chief, McDonnell will have to make sure the department is ready for the additional security challenges of the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

McDonnell was elected L.A. County Sheriff in 2014 to oversee the largest sheriff's department in the U.S. Before that, he spent 29 years in the LAPD and served as Long Beach's police chief for almost five years.

"I began the LAPD Academy 43 years ago... and I pause when I say that because I just can't wrap my head around that. That is a long time," McDonnell said Friday. "I love this city and I understand the modern-day challenges our officers face in trying to protect it."

At the LAPD, McDonnell held every rank from police officer to second-in-command under former LAPD chief Bill Bratton. During that time, he helped implement a federal consent decree imposed on the department largely as a result of the Rampart scandal, a corruption case involving rampant misconduct within the anti-gang unit.

When he was elected county sheriff, he inherited a department in the wake of a jail abuse corruption scandal that led to convictions against his predecessor, longtime Lee Baca, and more than 20 other officials.

The LAPD has faced criticism through the years over its response to the George Floyd protests and several high-profile shootings by officers. It has struggled to get rid of bad cops while also struggling to recruit as more officers leave its ranks than are coming in.

McDonnell touched on some of his priorities as the new leader of the department.

"In simplest terms, my goals are to enhance public safety, to grow our department back to full strength... to strengthen public trust, the foundation of all we do, to further develop community relationships and to be able to take that to new levels. To ensure respectful and constitutional policing practices in all that we do," the new LAPD chief said.

Following the press conference, McDonnell and Bass spoke to Angelenos at Pink's Hot Dogs, talking with them about the issues facing their city. The two also went to several police stations in the region. McDonnell said reaching out to the community is key.

"We are not going to be successful unless we work very closely with the community. Let's engage with the community to help us do our job but also respect the community. The foundation of everything we do is based in respect. You've got to give it to get it," McDonnell said.

In addition to strengthening public trust, McDonnell said the department needs more officers and that he wants to improve recruitment and retention.

"Trying to not only reduce crime but also supporting our officers in their endeavors to do that, working with our communities and hearing what the communities' priorities are, and then addressing those as well," he said.

While there was debate over whether Mayor Karen Bass would choose an "insider" or "outsider" who would shake things up and challenge the way things were done within the department's insular culture, the mayor ended up with three candidates all with decades of experience at the LAPD.

The other two candidates sent to Bass, who made the final selection, were Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Assistant Chief Robert "Bobby" Arcos, both reported by the Los Angeles Times as finalists for the position.

Both Tingirides and Arcos posted congratulatory messages for McDonnell on social media, as did former Chief Moore and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Bass, who had the final say after a civilian board of Los Angeles police commissioners vetted McDonnell, said her selection of a veteran law enforcement officer was based on a need to reduce crime and make every neighborhood safer. Bass met with hundreds of LAPD officers and community leaders before making her decision.

The Los Angeles City Council still needs to approve the choice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.