Whereas publicly chastising teams protesting immigration raids, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has provided help to officers in his Latino-majority division who might have blended emotions concerning the Trump administration‘s crackdown.
In a department-wide missive despatched out earlier this week as protests ramped up, McDonnell acknowledged some officers had been “dealing with criticism from the group or wrestling with the non-public affect,” of latest occasions and wanted help.
“When federal immigration enforcement actions happen in communities which will mirror your individual heritage, neighborhoods, and even your loved ones’s story, it will probably create a deep and painful battle,” he wrote. “It’s possible you’ll be sporting the uniform and fulfilling your obligation, however inside, you’re requested to carry a posh mixture of feelings.”
It was an uncommon show of solidarity for a chief who has hardly ever waded into the contentious immigration debate. McDonnell has bristled over criticism about his relationship with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement whereas serving as Los Angeles County Sheriff throughout Trump’s first time period.
In interviews and public feedback since turning into chief McDonnell has sought to distance himself from a coverage as sheriff that allowed federal immigration authorities to function freely, focusing on folks for deportation within the nation’s largest jail system.
Each McDonnell and present L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna have burdened that their departments don’t cooperate with federal authorities solely for immigration functions — polices adopted way back to assist construct belief throughout the metropolis’s numerous communities.
In his personal message to his division this week, Luna thanked deputies for his or her “professionalism, resolve, and unwavering dedication” — however solely briefly alluded to the immigration debate.
“Regardless of the complexity of this example — made much more difficult by the heightened political setting — I belief and absolutely count on that you’ll proceed to show the identical degree of excellence, thoughtfulness, and integrity which have introduced us this far,” Luna mentioned.
Critics of native legislation enforcement actions in latest days notice that racial bias additionally stays a contentious problem, with LAPD officers pulling over and capturing Latino Angelenos at the next price than their share of the general inhabitants.
Jim McDonnell was launched by Mayor Karen Bass to function the brand new Chief LAPD throughout a press convention at Metropolis Corridor on Oct. 4, 2024.
(Ringo Chiu/For The Instances)
When requested about how he’s working to maintain the town’s immigrant inhabitants protected, McDonnell usually cites Particular Order 40, the landmark coverage adopted in 1979 that forbids LAPD officers from stopping folks to inquire about their citizenship standing.
However Trump’s actions have put the chief and different native leaders within the awkward place of getting to defend federal officers and property — whereas additionally attempting to speak that they don’t seem to be on the aspect of immigration brokers.
In his latest message to division workers, McDonnell mentioned he acknowledged they “might really feel loyalty, frustration, worry, or typically even disgrace because the group mistakenly views you as a part of one thing that you’re not.” The general public might not “see the nuance,” of the LAPD’s postion, he mentioned, as a result of “merely being current could make it seem to be you help an motion it’s possible you’ll not agree with, or that you simply’re complicit in ache affecting your individual group.”
Publicly, although, the chief has struck a distinct, typically defensive tone, usually focusing his remarks on destruction brought on by some protesters.
At a Metropolis Council listening to Tuesday, he sparred with metropolis leaders who challenged the division’s relationship with federal authorities.
In a single trade, Metropolis Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson mentioned he disagreed with the chief on referring to companies akin to ICE as “legislation enforcement companions.”
“I don’t care what badge they’ve on or whose orders they’re below. They’re not our companions,” Harris-Dawson mentioned.
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who sits on the Council’s public security committee and represents an Echo Park-to-Hollywood district, mentioned in an announcement to The Instances that he wasn’t shocked that Latino law enforcement officials could also be feeling conflicted.
“Households are being ripped aside, and I’d wager practically each considered one of them has a mum or dad or relative who’s undocumented, or had been even undocumented themselves in some unspecified time in the future,” mentioned Soto-Martinez.
Artwork Placencia, a retired LAPD detective, recalled being a younger cop on the job within the years when cops would arrest Latinos just because they believed that they is likely to be within the nation illegally and ship them into federal custody.
The LAPD of at the moment is vastly completely different than when he was on the job, he mentioned. Prodded by lawsuits and consent decrees, the once-mostly white division has grown to change into greater than half Latino, which roughly mirrors the town’s demographics. And whereas Latino officers are under-represented within the LAPD’s higher echelons, they wield extra political clout than ever, Placencia mentioned.
Placencia, the previous president of an distinguished affiliation for Latino officers that when sued the LAPD for discrimination in promotion choices, mentioned McDonnell is caught in a bind of getting to navigate the town’s left-leaning politics whereas additionally backing up his rank-and-file officers on the entrance strains in opposition to hostile crowds.
“He’s gotta present that he’s involved concerning the officers and their emotions,” mentioned Placencia. “They’re those which might be on the market, they’re those which might be getting rocks thrown at them.”
In previous interviews, McDonnell has spoken proudly about his immigrant upbringing — each of his dad and mom moved to Boston from Eire a yr earlier than he was born — saying that he understands the wrestle of attempting to make a greater life in America. However as sheriff he additionally got here below hearth by breaking ranks with many different space politicians by opposing a “sanctuary state” invoice that sought to stop federal immigration brokers from taking custody of individuals being launched from California jails.
The choice of McDonnell final November got here as a disappointment amongst some throughout the division, who had hoped Bass would decide Robert Arcos, a third-generation Mexican American, who had the backing of some highly effective Latino civic leaders and would have been the primary Latino chief of a metropolis that’s greater than 50% Latino.
Ruben Lopez, a retired LAPD SWAT lieutenant, mentioned he appreciated that McDonnell determined to handle the interior ethical dilemma that some officers face.
Lopez remembers wrestling with comparable emotions when, as a younger cop, he was on the entrance strains of a large protest over Proposition 187, a controversial legislation — later struck down by a federal court docket — that barred undocumented immigrants from receiving public faculty educations and a spread of different state- and county-funded advantages.
“I keep in mind a number of the command workers wished to be extra aggressive, and I felt these had been simply households and children eager to train their proper to protest,” he mentioned. “As a result of if we don’t have that belief in the neighborhood, together with immigrant communities then we’re not going to get that collaborative method to police a metropolis of this measurement.”
Instances workers author Connor Sheets contributed reporting.
