Now is the Time to Keep Talking About Policing in Los Angeles

The selection of new LAPD Chief should be an opportunity to ask the big questions about the nature of policing and the best ways to keep Los Angeles safe.

LOS ANGELES - There is something curious and very disturbing about the selection and confirmation of Los Angeles' next police chief: We are missing a huge opportunity to have a real conversation about policing and public safety.

In most circles, Mayor Karen Bass’s selection of Jim McDonnell to head the Los Angeles Police Department is barely being discussed, and is certainly not being seriously debated. It is like we all have a case of civic amnesia, and are forgetting the massive challenges facing the LAPD and foregoing a discussion about how to solve them.

In the mayor’s announcement of her selection, in the bulk of the news coverage about it, and in the quick statements from public officials and civic leaders applauding her choice, we have heard a lot about officer morale, but not a word about the variety of scandals and controversies facing the LAPD.  We have heard a lot about preparing for the Olympics, but not a word about the demands of the tens of thousands of people who took to the streets four years ago, demanding big changes in how we are policed.

It is stunning how quickly we’ve gone, in just a few years, from an intense, deep and introspective civic dialogue over policing in Los Angeles to a pronounced lack of public discussion. The public may be in a decidedly “law and order” mood, but public officials should not lose sight of the long-term need to reform policing and implement more holistic public safety strategies.

Jim McDonnell is a familiar, generally well-regarded police veteran who served as LAPD Assistant Chief and Long Beach Police Chief before running successfully for Los Angeles County Sheriff in 2014. (I supported him in that race.) Those who have worked with McDonnell say that while he is not in his heart an aggressive police reformer, he is an accomplished police executive who can fulfill an assigned mission, like when he helped implement the federal consent decree on the LAPD, and when he embraced federal mandates for jail reform as sheriff.

That is why it is imperative that the City Council broaden the conversation about the LAPD during the scheduled Public Safety Committee meeting October 29 and at the full City Council after that. If the council does not force a fuller discussion, and push McDonnell on a bigger agenda, reform will not be a central part of his mission.

Here are a few topics the councilmembers needs to raise, and questions they need to ask McDonnell :

Police Violence: From 2022 to 2023, officer-involved shootings increased by 10% and use of force incidents increased by 25%. LAPD killed 16 people, 48% of those they shot. Remarkably, this happened during a year when overall violent crime declined in Los Angeles. What is wrong with how LAPD trains officers in use of force that police violence increases even in years when crime is down? Beyond training, what systemic changes are you prepared to make to address this? Are there other U.S. cities that have been successful reducing use of force, and what have they done that you’d like to replicate?

Police Liability: Between 2019 and 2024, the city paid $262 million in LAPD liability claims. This year, only 4 months into the fiscal year, Los Angeles has paid out $59.4 million in LAPD settlements. The money does not come from the LAPD budget, but rather from the city’s general fund, leaving less money for street repair, park maintenance, and homeless services.What steps will you take to reduce liability claims in your first term?  Can you set a goal for the percent reduction you seek to achieve in your first term? Should the LAPD’s budget be responsible for covering payouts if goals are not reached?

Scandal and Corruption: Over the past several years, scandals have beset the LAPD.  Officers and supervisors in the anti-gang unit have been accused of illegally searching vehicles and stealing from people they pulled over. A former assistant police chief was forced to retire after a disciplinary board ruled he secretly used an AirTag to track an officer he was romantically involved with. The LAPD inspector general released a report saying LAPD does not adequately monitor officers who train new hires, and rookies are routinely told to “forget everything you learned in the academy.” And that’s just the past two years. When you were sheriff, you faced criticism for not doing enough to address deputy gangs and handle LASD corruption. What will you do differently with LAPD? How will you change the culture of corruption and scandal in the LAPD? 

Immigration: When you were sheriff, you faced a lot of criticism over immigration policy and for cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). You publicly opposed SB54, a law signed by Governor Jerry Brown that limited local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration policies. Do you still think your position was correct? We are a Sanctuary City. How will you work within that framework? Do you support Special Order 40, which prevents LAPD officers from questioning people for the sole purpose of determining their immigration status?

Fiscal reality: Mayor Bass and several members of the City Council are sticking with the mantra that LAPD needs to hire hundreds of more officers. But it’s not going to happen, and almost everyone at City Hall knows it. The City is in a fiscal crisis – in large part due hefty police raises. The number of officers is not likely to increase dramatically, if it all. Do you acknowledge an increase in budget and staffing, especially at the cost of cuts in other departments, is unlikely? How will you cope with no additional funds and no additional officers? How will you restructure the LAPD accordingly? 

Traffic Stops and Reimagining Public Safety:  The problem of racially biased traffic stops is well-documented, nationwide and here in Los Angeles. In 2022, Chief Moore approved a new policy, limiting “pretextual” traffic stops, or stops for minor traffic violations, such as a vehicle equipment offense. Under the policy, officers must have a clear reason to stop someone, and they must record their reasoning on their body camera before the stop. Do you support or oppose that policy? Do you support other efforts to reduce police involvement in traffic stops through use of trained, unarmed civilians? Are there other duties currently handled by LAPD that you feel should be handled by civilian agencies?

The 2024 Olympics: The 1984 Olympics, while fondly remembered now by most people, were a traumatic experience for many in Los Angeles.  The LAPD used the Olympics as a justification for harassing young Blacks and Latinos. LAPD swept and displaced the city’s homeless population. Many people are concerned something similar will occur for the 2028 Olympics. Others are worried that the city has ceded control over security to federal authorities. What assurances can you give that LAPD will not be involved with harassment and banishment? And what authority will you have to demand federal and state officials defer to Los Angeles on immigration policy and other issues?

Community Policing: Noted civil rights attorney and police reform expert Connie Rice has written how Chiefs Bratton and Beck understood they needed to help steer a culture change in the department, from
“Gladiator DNA” to “Guardian DNA”, with programs like the Community Safety Partnership.  She also has written about the need to move the LAPD away from the policies of suppression and containment, which led to an intense aggressive presence in some neighborhoods.  Do you support the expansion of Community Safety Partnerships? Are there any circumstances under which you think suppression or containment is warranted?

Racism, Misogyny and Political Extremism: In the past couple of years, Black officers have reported they have experienced a rise in anti-Black racism in the LAPD, and a reluctance or refusal by superior officers to do anything about it. A 2020 study found “unhealthy antagonism” in some specialized units toward even discussions of implicit bias. Women have accused the department of perpetuating a culture of sexism and sexual harassment, and have filed several lawsuits.  During protests in 2020 and 2021, some activists contended officers displayed sympathy and voiced support for MAGA counter-protesters and allowed them to engage in violent or destructive behavior without consequence. What will you do to identify and root out racists, misogynists and political extremists in the ranks of LAPD?

Response to Mass Demonstrations: The LAPD has a troubling track record on its handling of protests and demonstrations. After facing public condemnation for an aggressive, violent and confused response to the 2020 George Floyd protests, an independent examination criticized the department for a “chaos of command,” poor planning, and inadequate training on weapons used against protesters. Protesters injured by police have won lawsuits against the city. The department is facing scrutiny for its handling of last year’s campus demonstrations. It is almost certain Los Angeles will see more large scale demonstrations in the next few months. What steps will you take to assure that LAPD manages to control large crowds of protesters and counter-protesters, in a constitutional manner, without resorting to violence?

Harassment of the Press: Over the past several years, LAPD has developed an aggressive, adversarial relationship with the press. During the mass displacement of homeless people from Echo Park Lake in 2022, police shot rubber bullets at reporters, threw them to the ground, and struck them with batons. Journalists repeatedly complain of LAPD violating their 1st Amendment rights. Just this month, a freelance reporter was threatened and then detained for reporting on a cleanup of a homeless encampment. What steps will you take to immediately reset this relationship with reporters engaged in constitutionally protected activity?

There are plenty of other issues, too. The use of technology, such as drones, robot dogs, and facial recognition programs. The woeful percentage of LAPD officers actually assigned to neighborhood patrols. The council should voice those concerns and many others.

Traditionally, the City Council’s consideration of the mayor’s nominee for police chief is more a coronation than a real public hearing. That’s how it was in the one nomination I voted on in 2018, and in the others I witnessed, dating back to the 1990s. But this is different. This is the first time Los Angeles is getting a new police chief since the murder of George Floyd and the summer of reckoning. As the attention fades from that tumultuous moment, it is not the time to stop talking about the issue of policing. It is the time to speak louder.

Mike Bonin, a Leadership in Government Fellow with the Open Society Foundation, teaches about public safety policy at Occidental College. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 2013-2022.