10:35am | As he waits to be sworn in as the new Chief of the Long Beach Police Department this weekend, Jim McDonnell met with several local leaders of the Latino community yesterday to discuss challenges and solutions at Long Beach City College.
Among those in attendance were LBCC President Eloy Oakley, Councilmembers Robert Garcia and Tonia Reyes Uranga, and Centro CHA President Jessica Quintana. McDonnell called the meeting “very productive.” Most in attendance agreed that the meeting was positive, although some expressed concerns about the lack of Latino officers in higher administration positions throughout the department.
“We need a force that’s reflective of the community it serves,” said Reyes Uranga. The councilwoman explained that she was encouraged with the meeting and the expression of ideas, but worried about a lack of long-term planning to keep Latino officers involved and promoted to high positions within the force. Reyes Uranga and Quintana pointed to high-ranking Latinos such as Deputy Chief Robert Luna and Commander Jorge Cisneros and worried that they may be lost to other departments without room to advance within the LBPD.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said Reyes Uranga. “And maybe it’s because we became complacent with those that we had in high positions currently.”
All in all, however, reaction following the meeting was positive and focused on creating new avenues for communication and understanding between officers and the Latino community – the largest minority group in Long Beach.
“I look forward to developing these relationships and furthering them,” said McDonnell after the meeting, “And getting to better know the city that I’ve lived in for a long time.”
The soon-to-be-Chief said that one of his goals is increasing communication and understanding.
“Where we break down is that lack of back-and-forth between the community and Police,” McDonnell said.
President Oakley agreed that it was important to establish lines of communication to create a positive relationship.
“Historically, whether in Long Beach or any other major urban city, there is a disconnect between Police and Latino communities,” Oakley said.
Below is a short video of Chief McDonnell following the meeting, discussing some of the challenges that he will face in his new position – most notably, budget cutbacks and the possibility of losing officers.
More to come…
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