Photos by Andrew Veis

2:00pm | Former LAPD First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell was introduced to the press today as the new Long Beach Police Department Chief of Police, as City Manager Pat West and Mayor Bob Foster expressed their confidence in choosing a highly-regarded candidate.

"Simply put, I believe that Jim McDonnell is the best person to lead the Long Beach Police Department," said West. "Appointing him the next Chief of Police is the right choice for our community and the right choice for this department."

McDonnell was considered a front-runner for the open LAPD Chief position earlier in 2009 and immediately emerged as a top candidate in the LBPD search when the Chief position opened.

"I am honored to have been chosen for this position and will do everything in my power to be able to make Long Beach the safest large city in the United States," McDonnell said. "I'm looking forward to working with every member of this great department, just as I'm looking forward to working with the community as a true partner in public safety."

McDonnell spent 28 years with the LAPD and has lived in Long Beach since 1996.

"The residents of Long Beach should know that your new chief has impeccable credentials and a sterling reputation in the national law enforcement community," said Mayor Bob Foster. "He is truly a world class leader."

McDonnell assumes control of the LBPD in an era of uncertainty. When longtime Chief Anthony Batts left the LBPD to become Chief in Oakland, he left behind a police department that consumes more than two-thirds of the City budget's general fund and many have called for pension reform.  Meanwhile, the department's officer-to-resident ratio is locally one of the lowest and Long Beach still deals with a major gang problem.

"We have a gang problem in this city as we do in so many other cities around the country," McDonnell said. "We have a lot of work to be done not only from the enforcement standpoint but to be able to work with others on the education, prevention, intervention, and then also the reintegration piece as well as what we do traditionally; the enforcement piece."

After the press conference, McDonnell stressed the need for community programs that keep youth involved and directed away from gang involvement, but also noted that many of those programs were eliminated with the latest batch of budget cuts.

"The budget is a major issue everywhere you go," McDonnell said. "A set of fresh eyes I'm sure is always looked at as a positive thing. I come in with the experiences I've had previously and the ability to be able to see things from a little bit of a different perspective and hopefully to share some of what I've been able to gleam from my experience in Los Angeles."

As he was introducing McDonnell, City Manager Pat West addressed some reports that his decision to extend the position to candidates from outside the LBPD had caused tension because many believed that qualified candidates were available within the department.

"Some have expressed concerns about me hiring a new Chief from outside the Long Beach ranks," West said. "While I understand some of these concerns, as City Manager of this great city I have a responsibility to the community and to the City Council to select the best and the brightest to lead one of the nation's most critical police departments here in the city of Long Beach. With Jim McDonnell we have a true leader who is known by all who have worked with him as one of the best."

It's difficult to dispute McDonnell's track record, but several high-ranking longtime Long Beach officers were known to be vying for the Chief of Police position and there was disappointment that the search for a new Chief was expanded beyond the department. West took time at the podium to thank Deputy Chiefs William Blair, Robert Luna and J.J. Craig - all of whom were believed to have a good chance at being named Chief.

McDonnell will begin in March.

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