CCJ Directory

McDonnell was appointed as chief of police for the Los Angeles Police Department in 2024. Most recently, he served as an independent consultant on thought leadership in the public safety arena, information technology, national security, crisis management and security risk solutions. He is frequently sought out as a speaker on a variety of public safety and leadership topics.

In 2014, McDonnell was elected as the 32nd sheriff of Los Angeles County, where he led the largest sheriff’s department in the United States out of a difficult period in its history and put them on track to be recognized as one of our nation’s leading policing agencies. Prior to his election, he served for five years as chief of police for the city of Long Beach and first assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, where he worked his way up through the ranks over a period of twenty nine years.

McDonnell has worked very closely with the many diverse ethnic communities in Los Angeles County throughout his career and as the son of immigrant parents, has tremendous respect for the challenges faced by so many of our newest residents.

Chief McDonnell is a graduate of Saint Anselm College where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree and the University of Southern California, where he received a master’s degree in public administration. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Executive Institute and has completed executive education programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.