Los Angeles County Sheriff's Race: Can Outsider Jim McDonnell Overcome Tradition?
Anaheim, CA: Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell, a candidate for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office, paid a visit to the 'Link Anaheim offices on Friday, September 19.
He spent considerable time with the management and the editorial board to apprise them of plans to induct a wholesome change in the beleaguered Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department plagued "with scandals, federal investigations and a shattered reputation" that "more than ever needs a shift in direction and leadership," according to the Los Angeles Register. Elections for the LA County Sheriff’s office are due to be held on November 4.
Chief McDonnell had an exhaustive session with the editorial board and was later interviewed by Mr Arif Mansuri, President, PL Publications, publisher of Pakistan Link and Urdu Link. Mr Mansuri posed many searching questions and touched on a wide range of issues - from Chief McDonnell's solid record in law enforcement; specific measures he would take to fix the problems of a police department that has 18,000 employees and an yearly budget of $3.2 billion; his commitment to diversity and respect for people of all faiths, including Muslims; his comments on receiving numerous endorsements; and his experience in dealing with Muslim Americans and members of the Pakistani-American community – during the course of the interview.
Chief McDonnell's answers were forthright, insightful, and spontaneous and had a bearing on a wide spectrum of issues that impact the community and that had come up for discussion during the course of the interview. Some of his comments were edifying and bode well for future police-community relations. His well-meaning observations seemed to lend credence to an earlier Los Angeles Times endorsement: “It is hard to imagine a candidate better suited to the job.” The Los Angeles Register's endorsement too strongly testified to Chief McDonnell’s credentials for the office of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department: "The department needs an outsider’s perspective and a departure from the status quo. It is for this reason that we are endorsing Jim McDonnell for sheriff." Indisputably, Chief Jim McDonnell deserves the wholehearted support of the community. PL Publications, the publisher of Pakistan Link and Urdu Link, endorses Jim McDonnell for LA County Sheriff.
Jim McDonnell was appointed 25th Chief of Police for the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD), the 2nd largest city in Los Angeles County, in March 2010.
McDonnell served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 29 years and held every rank in the department up to Chief of Staff, second-in-command of the LAPD. He has received numerous community and department awards, including the LAPD's highest award for bravery, the Medal of Valor.
Chief McDonnell serves on numerous Boards of Directors that focus on furthering the interests of local youth and leadership in the policing profession on a local, statewide and national level. He serves as a Commissioner of the California Commission on Peace Officers' Standards & Training (POST) and is the immediate past president of the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs' Association.
McDonnell promotes effective partnerships within the law enforcement community and recognizes how much can be accomplished by bringing people with a shared vision together. He was appointed to the US Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence and served in two US Department of Justice National Executive Sessions; the National Executive Session on Law Enforcement & Public Health: Inter-Disciplinary Strategies and the National Executive Session on Police Legitimacy and Racial Reconciliation.
Chief McDonnell holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is also a graduate of the FBI's prestigious National Executive Institute, the Senior Management Institute for Police and has completed executive education programs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
