When Jim McDonnell is officially sworn in as the next Los Angeles Police Department chief on November 14th, a difficult task lies ahead.
The list also includes responses to strong union resistance to major discipline reforms. There has been a series of scandals that have shaken trust, and the company has come under strict scrutiny from supervisory authorities. And it calls for improved relations with communities left with mistrust after decades of hostile policing.
But it’s all familiar territory for McDonnell, who served one term as L.A. County sheriff from 2014 to 2018.
Although the Los Angeles Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department are culturally very different, longtime observers of both agencies say Mr. McDonnell’s resume includes service as Long Beach police chief and 28 years with the Los Angeles Police Department. He said it provides insight into both his management style and potential pitfalls. he will face.
In introducing McDonnell at a press conference earlier this month, Mayor Karen Bass praised his decades of experience and repeatedly called the mayor-elect an “innovator.” But his critics say his four years as sheriff suggest he is unlikely to make sweeping reforms as LAPD chief. .
McDonnell still needs City Council approval and is scheduled to appear before the Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, but his public swearing-in ceremony has already been set for Nov. 14.
The Los Angeles Police Department referred requests for an interview with McDonnell to a spokesperson in the mayor’s office, but numerous emails went unanswered. The Times spoke to LAPD veterans as well as several former colleagues in the Sheriff’s Department about the next chief’s background. He worked at USC for the past several years, running the school’s Safe Communities Institute.
As sheriff, he was criticized by some progressives for not doing enough to change a department that has always had problems. At the same time, some of his actions greatly galvanized the Congressional Federation, which poured money into his 2018 election campaign to oust him.
One wonders what effect this experience will have on Bass’ dealings with the LAPD’s equally powerful union, the Los Angeles Police Protective Alliance, which has been buoyed by Bass’ strong public support in recent months. There are some too. After approving raises for officers amid warnings of financial risks to the city, the mayor has frequently spoken publicly about the need to improve officer morale, a phrase often used by federation officials. is.
The federation, which represents about 8,800 police officers, expressed support for Mr. McDonnell, saying he has worked to improve police staffing, improve officer morale and fix a “broken discipline process.” Some argue this unfairly punishes the ranks while protecting top leaders and charges of similar misconduct.
Bass earlier this year vetoed an effort to give chiefs more power over fire department officials accused of gross misconduct. Former LAPD Chief and City Councilman Bernard Parks said disciplinary matters are still largely decided by Civilian Rights Commission committees, potentially limiting McDonnell’s room for maneuver. There is.
“They have to clean it up. [discipline system] To give him a chance and not just sit there and hold his hand and say, ‘Oh my god,'” Parks said. As the city’s top cop from 1997 to 2002, Parks frequently clashed with the police union over discipline issues.
Parks served as chief during the Rampart scandal, which led to court-ordered reforms after police officers were found guilty of crimes such as robbery and murder. Incoming Secretary Bill Bratton selected McDonnell to be his top aide.
Greg Yates, a longtime civil rights attorney, said he was “cautiously optimistic” given how McDonnell helped rebuild the department after Rampart.
“He survived because he is a very diplomatic, experienced and intelligent person,” Yates said.
But if Mr McDonnell decides to challenge the status quo, Mr Yates said: “He’s going to be like everyone else and he’s going to get slammed.”
At the sheriff’s office, McDonnell sought to improve integrity and transparency after scandals under Lee Baca.
Baca, who resigned in 2014, was convicted of obstructing an investigation into the department’s troubled prison system and lying to federal investigators about it.
Mr. McDonnell signed an information-sharing agreement with the Office of the Inspector General, hired a Constitutional Police Counsel, worked to ensure corrupt lawmakers are fired, and toyed with the idea of turning over the department’s so-called “Brady List” of problem lawmakers to county prosecutors. I supported it.
“He held himself to very high standards of honesty,” said Neil Tyler, who served as deputy sheriff during the first two years of McDonnell’s term. “I think he brought it from the LAPD.”
But his tenure as sheriff was also plagued by issues surrounding immigration.
Mr. McDonnell opposed a “sanctuary state” bill aimed at preventing federal immigration officials from detaining people being released from California prisons. In doing so, he broke ranks with many other local politicians — including the bill’s sponsor, then-state Sen. Kevin de Leon. It was a huge political gamble at a time when officials were finding strong support for confronting former President Trump’s policies.
McDonnell, who described himself to the Times at the time as “not pro-Trump” and “not anti-Trump,” said he, along with other sheriffs who oversee prisons, believed the proposal was less about protecting immigrants. He argued that there was a high possibility of harming them. Mr. McDonnell had previously been a registered Republican, but during his time as sheriff he said he was no longer affiliated with a political party.
Immigrant advocates are increasingly worried about McDonnell’s stance, as Trump has repeatedly promised mass deportations if re-elected.
Other detractors, including Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, have criticized the former sheriff for improving conditions at the Los Angeles County Jail and for unofficial tattooed sheriffs who have been repeatedly accused of misconduct. He pointed out that he had not eradicated the group more aggressively. Over the years.
When the main search for mayor narrowed to two other finalists, including a Black woman and a Latina man, Abdullah said the remaining two candidates were the deputy chief of staff who runs the department’s Southern Division. Emada Tingirides and former Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos. — has found some support among some progressive groups typically wary of law enforcement.
“The allowances for prison and gang vice growth were so bad that even these progressive organizations were like, ‘Anyone but Jim McDonnell,'” she said.
Tyler, a former deputy sheriff, noted that McDonnell will not answer directly to voters as chief. He also won’t have to overcome being an outsider, a longtime LAPD member who previously struggled to lead county officials.
“He wasn’t selected again, but that doesn’t matter to the LAPD,” Tyler said. “And he couldn’t be a sheriff’s deputy from day one. That doesn’t matter to the LAPD.”
Unlike his predecessor, McDonnell was directly involved in determining disciplinary actions and held deputy sheriffs accountable for all incidents, Tyler said. Tyler said he cracked down on unlicensed station logos and images, launched an investigation into the vice subgroup, and later launched a RAND Corp. report released after McDonnell’s successor had already fired him. It is said that it was replaced by
In an email to the Times, former Sheriff Alex Villanueva wished McDonnell the best of luck as chief and said he would “support police officers who do a difficult job and continue to support our communities to the standards they deserve.” “We need to strike a smart balance between holding police officers accountable when they don’t.” ”
Mr Villanueva, who himself was voted out of office four years after succeeding Mr McDonnell, took an even more sarcastic tone on social media. “Hopefully,” he said. McDonnell learned something about how not to run a large organization. ”
Mr. Villanueva has reversed many of Mr. McDonnell’s major reforms, reinstated the controversial “Fort Apache” logo on the East Los Angeles Station, replaced the department’s constitutional police adviser and tightened rules on information sharing with regulators. and established a group to evaluate firings and discipline. In McDonnell’s terminology.
County Supervisor Supervisor Max Huntsman said McDonnell’s emphasis on discipline and accountability led to a backlash from unions and made him unpopular with some members, while outsiders called for drastic changes. He criticized the lack of review.
“He didn’t want to just come in as an LAPD officer and say, this is what we’re going to do, we’re going to do it the LAPD way,” Huntsman said. “So I think he took his time and as a result, it seemed like it was too late.”
Former Sheriff’s Office Commander Keith Swenson said McDonnell “really didn’t have enough time to make big changes.”
“He definitely put in the effort,” Swenson said. “He had even more discipline than the department had before he arrived. But did that really change the department that much? I don’t think it did.”
