With an 11-2 vote, the Los Angeles City Council Friday approved Jim McDonnell as the next LAPD chief.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass nominated him for the position last month. McDonnell becomes the 59th chief of the LAPD, the nation’s third-largest law enforcement agency. He will lead the department as it tackles major security issues in the coming years, with the region set to host the Olympics, a Super Bowl and the World Cup.
McDonnell was sworn-in during a private ceremony following the City Council’s vote. A public ceremony to honor the new chief is scheduled for Thursday.
“My job every day will be to help keep you safe, and I want to be clear to all people of Los Angeles, especially our immigrant community … feeling uncertainty and fear. This is a city of immigrants, and my job is to serve you,” McDonnell said.
McDonnell previously served in the LAPD for 29 years. He also served five years as the Long Beach police chief and four years as the Los Angeles County sheriff.
Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunissess Hernandez opposed his confirmation, echoing concerns from the immigrant community regarding McDonnell’s past policies as county sheriff from 2014 to 2018, when he allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into county jails. In 2017, he also opposed state Senate Bill 54, which established California as a sanctuary state, limiting law enforcement agencies’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities.