Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell's group that publicly protested immigration attacks has supported officials in his Latino majority department who may feel differently about the Trump administration's crackdown.
During a department-wide publicity campaign sent earlier this week, McDonald admitted that some officers “faced criticism from the community or fight against the personal impact of recent events” and needed support.
“When federal immigration enforcement action occurs in a community that may reflect your own legacy, community, or even family stories, it can create deep and painful conflict,” he wrote. “You may wear a uniform and perform your duties, but in it, you are asked to have a complex emotional bond.”
It was an unusual unity for a chief who rarely got involved in the controversial immigration debate. McDonnell criticized his relationship with U.S. immigration and customs enforcement while serving as Los Angeles County Sheriff during President Trump’s first term.
Since becoming Chief, McDonnell has tried to distance himself from the policy as a sheriff in interviews and public comments, which allows federal immigration authorities to operate freely with the goal of deportation in the largest prison system in the United States.
Both McDonnell and current Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stressed that their department does not work with federal authorities and is for immigration purposes only—the policy was adopted long ago to help build trust in the city’s diverse community.
In a message to the department this week, Luna thanked the delegates for their “professional, determination and unwavering dedication” but only briefly hints at the immigration debate.
“While this situation becomes complicated – my political environment is more challenging, I am completely confident that you will continue to show the level of excellence, consideration and integrity that makes us so far,” Luna said.
In recent days, critics of local law enforcement actions have pointed out that racial bias remains a controversial issue, with LAPD officials shooting Latino Angelenos at a higher share than their overall population.
Jim McDonnell introduced the new LAPD chief by Mayor Karen Bass at a press conference at City Hall on October 4, 2024.
(ringo chiu/the times)
When asked how to ensure the safety of the city’s immigrant population, McDonald often cites Special Order 40, a milestone policy adopted in 1979 that prohibits LAPD officials from preventing people from asking about their citizenship.
But Trump’s actions put the chiefs and other local leaders in an awkward situation where federal officials and property must be defended, while also trying to communicate that they are not on the side of immigration agents.
In a recent message to department employees, McDonald said he recognized that they “may feel loyal, frustrated, fearful, and even sometimes shamed because the community mistakenly sees you as part of something you are not.” He said the public may not “see the nuances of LAPD posts” because “just being present can make you seem to support actions you may not agree with, or that you have complicity in the pain of your own community impact.”
However, in public, the Chief adopted a different, sometimes defensive tone, often focusing his remarks on the destruction caused by some protesters.
He argued with city leaders at a city council hearing Tuesday, who challenged the department’s relationship with federal authorities.
City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said in an exchange that he disagrees with the heads of agencies such as “law enforcement partners.”
“I don't care what badges they have or their orders. They're not our companions,” said Harris-Dawson.
Housed on the Council’s Public Safety Committee, Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents an echoing park to the Gollywood District, said in a statement to the Times that he was not surprised that Latino police might be ambivalent.
“The family is torn apart, and I bet they almost each have a parent or relative who is undocumented and hasn't even proved themselves at some point,” Soto-Martinez said.
Retired LAPD detective Art Placencia recalled that during the years when police arrested Latinos, it was a young policeman simply because they thought they might be illegal and sent them to federal detention centers.
He said today’s LAPD is very different from when he was working. Influenced by lawsuits and consent statutes, once the white department has grown to more than half the Latino, which more or less reflects the city’s demographic information. Plicencia said that despite the lack of Latino officials in the upper echelon of LAPD, they are more politically influential than ever.
Placencia, former chairman of the famous Latino Officers Association who once sued LAPD, said McDonnell was caught and being caught was a must to navigate the city’s left-leaning politics, while also supporting him on the front line against hostile crowds.
“He has to show that he is concerned about the officers and their feelings,” Placencia said. “They are the people there, they are the people who are thrown on them.”
In past interviews, McDonnell proudly spoke of his immigration growth—his parents moved from Ireland to Boston a year before he was born—said he understands his struggle to live a better life in the United States. But as a sheriff, he also passed an opposition to a “Sanitation State” bill designed to prevent federal immigration agents from custodying people released from California prisons, which has also been criticized by politicians in other regions.
McDonald's choice last November was disappointing, with some in the department hoping that Bass would choose Robert Arcos, a Mexican-American who has been supported by some strong Latino civic leaders and would have been the first Latino leader in the city, which is more than 50% of Latino.
Retired LAPD SWAT lieutenant Ruben Lopez said he appreciated McDonnell's decision to address the internal moral dilemma faced by some officers.
Lopez remembers that when he was on the frontline of mass protests against Proposition 187 like a young policeman, it was a controversial law (later rejected by federal courts) that prohibited immigrants from receiving public school education without proper documents as well as other state and county-funded benefits.
“I remember some commanders wanting to be more aggressive, and I feel like these are just families and children who want to exercise their right to protest,” he said. “Because if we don’t have trust in communities including immigrant communities, then we wouldn’t be taking this cooperative approach to police-like cities.”
Connor, the Times Worker, contributed To this report.
