After shooting people for three consecutive days late last month, the civilian boss of LAPD turned to Chief Jim MacDonald for explanation.
The police commission wants to know: What else can the department do to prevent police from firing?
However, in responses at the panel meeting last week, MacDonald seemed angry at his concept of officers.
“I think what we’re seeing is an increase in the willingness of criminals in the community to attack officials,” he said at the August 26 meeting. “Then the officials took control of it in order to respond.”
Since taking over the department in November, the committee has praised McDonald’s performance. But the recent series of police shootings – Overall growth This has caused officers to open fire in 31 incidents this year, up from 20 points at the same time in 2024, marking a rare point of contention.
Commission Vice President Rasha Gerges Shields told the CEO that she and her colleagues were “troubled by the interactions caused by the use of marginal weapons (knives, other similar things) and those in a mental health crisis.”
In a radio appearance earlier this year, the Chiefs put aside the shootings, saying officials were often in dangerous situations and they had no choice but to fire to protect themselves or the public.
“Unfortunately, it’s part of the work,” he said. “It’s largely controlled by officials and departments, in terms of the threat of these risks.”
Such remarks have caused some long-term observers to worry that the department will retreat to the days when department leaders tolerate universal and excessive use of force. MacDonald’s Defense Positive strategies Critics believe a dangerous message was sent to officials during this summer’s pro-migration protests.
LAPD sits at a “critical” crossroads, said Jorja Leap, a professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Leap said federal agreement orders following the walled gang scandal in the late 1990s pushed LAPD to become a more transparent and responsible institution whose leaders receive support from their communities is crucial to their mission.
In subsequent reforms, its signed outreach program, the Community Security Partnership, which avoids arrests to bring officials with residents to solve some of the city’s most troublesome housing projects.
Leap said that despite research showing that the approach helps reduce crime, support for the program has begun to decline in recent years. “LAPD has now grown into an inward organization,” she said.
A LAPD spokeswoman said McDonald’s was not interviewed this week.
Others accused the Chief of the reaction to the Trump administration’s immigration attack in Southern California, to the presence of local police in federal operations and the active actions of LAPD officials against protesters and journalists during the June demonstrations.
Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University, said McDonnell seemed reluctant to admit how to see Riot-Gear-Gear officer rejecting the impression that police “protect the Fed and buildings more than Los Angeles residents who pay for LAPD.”
McDonnell repeatedly defended the department’s response, telling reporters earlier this year that officials were forced to step in “a direct response to an immediate, credible threat.”
He also released an internal memo Express his support Sigh to officials in the Latino majority department and acknowledge the mixed feelings of some people about immigration raids.
After being publicly sworn in, McDonnell admitted how much the department has changed since leaving the department in 2010, while saying: “My perspective is broader, more broad, and realizing that we are not going to succeed unless we work closely with the community.”
His appointment was surprised in the local political circle at the time, and some questioned why a community progressive mayor, like Karen Bass, had an organizational background that closely linked his destiny to the head of law and order. Others believe McDonald’s is an attractive option: a respected LAPD veteran who also served as chief in Long Beach and later as Los Angeles County Sheriff.
back Many scandals McDonnell’s choice of this job has been widely seen in recent years as providing stability, and the city is ready for the enormous security challenges of the upcoming World Cup and Olympics.
McDonnell won the internal division with a serious and restrained approach, and their predecessor Michel Moore’s micromanagement style delayed them. After McDonnell held a well-known coalition struggle during his tenure as Sheriff McDonnell courted the Los Angeles Police’s Coalition by focusing new focus on police recruitment and pledging a major overhaul of the department’s controversial discipline system.
Through certain measures, MacDonald also provides results for the bass. The number of violent crimes continues to decline, with the rate of homicides being 50 years.
However, the two leaders are in very different positions on the unselected attacks at the White House and the deployment of the National Guard.
McDonnell described federal law enforcement officers participating in immigration operations as “our partners” during a city council hearing in June.
Andrés Dae Keun Kwon, policy consultant and senior organizer for the ACLU, said McDonald’s Record immigration It is one of the reasons why ACLU opposes his choice of chief. Since then, the Chief seems to be out of touch with the message that Beth and other local leaders gathered around the city immigrants, Quain said.
“Given that we’ve been three months old, the Trump regime has besieged Los Angeles, you think the police department’s leaders will react more to the needs of the community,” Quain said.
“Every leader has a different role in protecting Angelens and everyone agrees that these indiscriminate attacks have had devastating consequences for our city,” she said in a statement.
MacDonald’s relationship with the police commission was gracious, but several department insiders – demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose private discussions – said behind the scenes, some commissioners have begun speculating about the chief’s handling of the disciplinary action.
At a recent meeting, tensions were evident when officer shootings led to the chief’s public outfit.
Board members responded to the frustration of LAPD critics who drowned committee meetings weekly, board members questioned how officials last month opened fire on the days of back-to-back return.
Commissioner Fabian Garcia called the three shots “a lot”.
He and his colleagues told McDonald that they hope LAPD will present reports on the shooting at a future meeting.
McDonald replied, “Great, thank you” before starting regular crime and staffing updates.
