Jim McDonnell was appointed 25th Chief of Police for the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) in February, 2010. Chief McDonnell is responsible for a department consisting of 1,500 employees and a $200 million budget.

The City of Long Beach is home to: 495,000 residents, one of the worlds largest ports and the second busiest seaport in the United States, two of the nations largest municipal marinas, a national airport, two college campuses, a nationally recognized convention and visitors bureau, numerous entertainment districts, and home to the world renowned Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Chief Jim McDonnell has a great appreciation for the cultural diversity of the City of Long Beach and values the contributions that all the various cultures make to the City.

He served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 28 years and held a wide variety of positions throughout his career. 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 both a local and statewide level.  He is an active member of several more organizations, such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police; California Peace Officers’ Association; California Police Chiefs’ Association; Peace Officer's Association of Los Angeles County, and the Southern California Leadership Network.

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.

He regularly lectures at a number of Department schools and has trained criminal justice professionals on a variety of topics, such as leadership, ethics, community policing, handling line of duty deaths, and the recruitment and retention of valuable employees.  Chief McDonnell is recognized as an expert on policing issues and has lectured on these topics around the world.  He currently teaches public policy issues at the University of California, Los Angeles.