Welcome New Police Chief Jim McDonnell

Today, City Manager Pat West announced his decision to hire former LAPD Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell as our new Chief of Police. McDonnell is a 28 year veteran of the Los Angeles department, and a Long Beach resident.

I wish our new Chief the very best. While crime continues to drop in Long Beach, we still have major challenges with gangs, criminal activity and quality of life issues.

Chief McDonnell inherits in my opinion, the very best Police Department and Command Staff in the state. Our men and women have done an incredible job of reducing and preventing crime throughout the city. They will continue to have my strong support and respect.

In the next few days, I will have an opportunity to share with our new Chief the challenges and opportunities that we face in Long Beach, and in Downtown in particular. I look forward to getting to know him.

Go Long Beach!

Robert