Jim McDonnell was appointed 25th Chief of Police for the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD), the 2nd largest city in Los Angeles County, in March 2010.

McDonnell served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 29 years and held every rank in the department up to Chief of Staff, second-in-command of the LAPD. He has received numerous community and department awards, including the LAPD’s highest award for bravery, the Medal of Valor.

Chief McDonnell serves on numerous Boards of Directors that focus on furthering the interests of local youth and leadership in the policing profession on a local, statewide and national level.  He serves as a Commissioner and Chair of the California Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards & Training (POST) and is the current president for the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association.

McDonnell promotes effective partnerships within the law enforcement community and recognizes how much can be accomplished by bringing people with a shared vision together.  He was appointed to the U.S. Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence and served in two U.S. Department of Justice National Executive Sessions; the National Executive Session on Law Enforcement & Public Health: Inter-Disciplinary Strategies and the National Executive Session on Police Legitimacy and Racial Reconciliation.

Chief McDonnell holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.  He is also a graduate of the FBI’s prestigious National Executive Institute, the Senior Management Institute for Police and has completed executive education programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.