CHANNEL 1 LOS ANGELES
COUNTYLOS ANGELES, CA (November 4, 2014 – On Tuesday, voters from across LA County went to the polls to vote for their next Sheriff. By an overwhelming majority of votes cast, Jim McDonnell was elected as the next Los Angeles County Sheriff. Standing on stage with his wife Kathy, daughters Kelly and Megan, and a host of supporters and community, political, business and labor leaders, Sheriff-elect McDonnell addressed the jubilant crowd of more than 600 supporters who were watching election returns together at the JW Marriott at LA Live.
In his remarks, Sheriff-elect McDonnell said, “I am honored and humbled to be with all of you tonight and thankful for your support. Tonight, I find myself at the end of a journey that I could have never imagined. I am the son of immigrants, someone who grew up in a working class neighborhood in Boston and came to this city 34 years ago, with little more than the simple desire to protect and serve our community.
Tonight I stand before you as your newly elected Sheriff and we all stand together at the start of a new journey. We are at a defining and historic moment for our Sheriff’s Department – a moment where we will have the chance to show our resolve to serve with fairness and compassion for all: for the victims of crime, for those in our jails, and for the public that expects and deserves the highest standards of constitutional policing. Working together we can move beyond past problems, rebuild our relationship with our community, and usher in a new era for this great Department.”Sheriff-elect McDonnell was joined on stage by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Supervisor Don Knabe, Supervisor-Elect Hilda Solis, as well as LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA City Council President Herb Wesson and other government officials, community leaders and supporters.
He was introduced to the cheering crowd by long-time supporter and friend, District Attorney Jackie Lacey. “Tonight’s results make clear that the voters favor reform of LASD, greater accountability and transparency, and new strategies that are smarter and more strategic in promoting community safety,” said District Attorney Lacey. “Jim McDonnell has the experience, wisdom, integrity and vision to move the Sheriff’s Department forward and rebuild community trust. I look forward to working closely with him and the LASD family to create safer neighborhoods, to tackle the tough issue of finding compassionate solutions that can help those suffering from mental illness and improve the quality of life for all residents of Los Angeles County.
”Sheriff-elect Jim McDonnell served in the Los Angeles Police Department for 29 years, rising to second in command under Chief Bratton. For the past almost five years he has served as Chief of Police for Long Beach. He served on the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence, where he heard first-hand about the issues of violence, pay-to-play and favoritism within the Department and saw the failure of leadership that had devastated the Department. His priorities as the next Sheriff include promoting an open, accountable and transparent Department; rebuilding trust with the community; improving morale within the Department and working with local leaders to promote effective and community-based approaches to public safety.Sheriff-elect McDonnell will take the Oath of Office on December 1, 2014 in Downtown Los Angeles.