Former Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell, who also spent four years as county sheriff, was named today the next chief of the LAPD, taking over a department that will deal with major security issues in the coming years as the region hosts the Olympics, a Super Bowl and the World Cup.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass made the announcement at a Friday morning news conference at City Hall, selecting McDonnell from among three finalists for the job. McDonnell, who is also a former LAPD assistant chief, will replace Michel Moore, who retired in February. Dominic Choi has been serving as interim chief.
After spending most of his career in the LAPD, McDonnell was appointed to replace Long Beach Police Chief Anthony Batts in 2010.
“He became the Police Chief of Long Beach as an outsider coming from LAPD and no one knew how it would go, but he won the respect of officers and policy makers,” Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert said. “Los Angeles is very lucky to be getting Jim McDonnell as its chief.”
McDonnel left Long Beach after being elected sheriff in 2014. He held that position for only one term before being unseated by Alex Villanueva. Robert Luna replaced McDonnell as Long Beach police chief in 2014 before going on to defeat Villanueva in the 2022 sheriff’s election.
“Jim McDonnell is a leader of the highest ethical character,” said Congressman Robert Garcia, who was a Long Beach City Council member during McDonnell’s tenure in the city. “He was incredibly effective as Long Beach Chief of Police and he earned the trust of the community and his department.”
He called McDonnell “an excellent pick” by Bass.
The Los Angeles Police Commission submitted three candidates for police chief to Bass in August — McDonnell, LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Assistant Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos, who has been working with District Attorney George Gascon’s office as head of investigations.
Bass called McDonnell “one of America’s finest police professionals” and a “nationally recognized thought leaders on public safety.”
Bass said that working with McDonnell, “together we will grow and strengthen LAPD,” and “will strengthen relationships with the community.”
Bass also expressed confidence in McDonnell to keep Los Angeles safe during upcoming major events — the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games — noting that after spending time in Paris during the recent Olympics, “the magnitude of what L.A. needs to prepare for us crystal clear to me.”
McDonnell also recognized that challenge, saying, “In the next five years, the eyes of the world will be upon us. Los Angeles will host the World Cup, it will host the Olympic and Paralympic games, it will host a Super Bowl and an NBA All-Star Game. Our department and our city will be showcased, and we will be prepared. What a great opportunity that is for all of us in L.A.”
McDonnell noted that he began his law enforcement career at the LAPD police academy 43 years ago, and said “standing before you here today is a dream realized.”
“I love this city and I understand the modern-day challenges our officers face in trying to protect it,” he said. “To our LAPD officers, I thank you. you answer the call. You perform your duties with dignity, and you hold each other to the highest professional standards.”
He said his goals were enhancing public safety in the city, “to grow our department back to full strength,” and “to strengthen public trust, the foundation of all we do,” and develop community relationships while ensuring “respectful and constitutional policing practices.”
An executive recruiting firm was hired by City Hall to search for candidates months ago. The Police Commission announced in August at the end of a special meeting it submitted the names of three finalists to the mayor’s office.
Police Commission President Erroll Southers said he spoke to many people during the search process, and the common themes he heard relating to McDonnell were that he was “honest, seasoned and a man of integrity.”
Some observers had anticipated that Bass would select either a woman or a Latino to fill the chief’s office — both would be firsts. But in the end, she opted for McDonnell, who is white. But Bass defended her selection, saying public safety was her top priority.
“Our city has a lot of work to do to be prepared to welcome the world,” Bass said. “To me, what is most important, as I said from the beginning, is to keep this city safe. We needed and I feel very confident in one of the top law enforcement professionals in our country who was willing to come back to the department and lead us in a time when the department internally needs to be transformed, the city needs to feel safe and we need to prepare to welcome the world. And I feel very strongly and confident in that decision.”
Jeremiah Dobruck contributed to this report.