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Serving the Public In those communities, crime reduction is McDonnell’s top priority. “That’s our core mission: crime, counterterrorism, being able to keep all of our communities safe,” he said. According LAPD statistics, the total number of person and property crimes increased about 2.2% from 2023 to 2024. Those numbers have been trending downward month-to-month since the end 2024. The most recent data shows 7,749 total reported personal and property crimes between Feb. 22 and March 23, a decrease of 16% from the previous month. Crime statistics and mapping are available to the public at www.lapdonline.org To be successful, the LAPD needs public support,
McDonnell recalled the hectic month beginning Jan. 7 with the start of the Palisades Fire, followed by the Eaton Fire in L.A. County: “Sadly, many people lost everything they had, but they were still alive. And so that was job one for us. And then controlling traffic, ingress and egress, getting emergency equipment in, being able to facilitate what the needs were as best we could for the people coming to and from,” McDonnell explained. “And then came crime suppression. Whenever you have a major event like this anywhere in the country, you have people who come in from other places to take advantage of people during the worst time of their lives to steal their property.” For the LAPD, it required shifting an already lean
THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST.
force to safeguard the burn areas. The LAPD polices about 473 square miles with a population of more than 3.9 million. As of March 8, there were 8,753 sworn officers and about 3,000 civilian employees in the department. It is the third largest police department after NYPD and Chicago PD with about 2.5 officers per 1,000 people as compared to 4 to 4.5 in the other cities. “But from that tragedy, I think the benefit was that people saw that they needed to step up, they needed to be part of something bigger than themselves. And I think it kind of reinvigorated in some people the desire to give back, the desire
McDonnell said. “My ask to the people of Los Angeles is: Please work with us. Please be patient. Please help us to do the job in the best way possible.” California voters voiced their frustration with retail theft with the passage of Prop. 36 in November that amended Prop. 47 from 2014 to make repeat theft of $950 or more a felony and impose tougher penalties for drug-related offenses. McDonnell said the change provides law enforcement with useful tools, but he doesn’t see it as a mandate to put more people in prison, but rather to hold offenders accountable, get them treatment if
to be able to play a role in public safety,” he said. McDonnell’s vision for the LAPD is two-pronged: Foster an environment where civilians and sworn officers remain for long, rewarding careers; and cultivate trust and cooperation throughout the city of Los Angeles. “People often throw the term reform around, but I think a better
needed, and ultimately make businesses more secure. He added that a judge can order someone into treatment when they’re convicted of a felony, but not for a misdemeanor. He said under Prop. 47, the number of people in drug treatment facilities went down significantly. “What we’ve seen in the past couple of years
eroded the public’s trust. They didn’t feel anyone was in charge and ultimately many neighborhoods that had fought for so long to get stores, supermarkets where they could get healthy food. Many of those have left because they were being victimized. … That hurts,” he said. Voters also elected a new L.A. County District Attorney Nathan
term is continuous improvement. We always want to be better. We’re always evolving,” said McDonnell. “We will never reach the desired end state because the circumstances we deal with are constantly changing. We have to be adaptable. We have to be willing to be flexible in our approach to how we do business, but we have to be sensitive to the needs of the communities we serve.”
Those who dare will wear the badge that protects the City of Dreams.
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