LA mayoral candidate Raman attacks police chief but offers no replacement

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 28 Oct, 04:20 · Archive

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has called for removing LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell but has not named a replacement.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has said she would remove LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell if elected. During an ABC7 interview, she criticised him over the cost of police staffing, his relationships with immigrants and alleged cooperation with immigration enforcement. "I believe that this police chief has lost the trust of our immigrant community here in LA," she said. However, when pressed about who would replace McDonnell, Raman declined to name a candidate, saying the decision required consultation with stakeholders and the Police Commission and that it was "too important of a decision to set an arbitrary timeline."

Raman argued that the LAPD has been "paying half a billion dollars more for 1,500 fewer officers than we were before." She said the next chief should be transparent, accountable and maintain hiring. She also suggested that some calls involving homelessness could be handled without armed officers.

McDonnell responded in an exclusive statement, defending his record. He said crime rates are falling and disputed claims that the department has lost trust in the immigrant community, asking for "data" to support such claims. He noted that the LAPD does not cooperate with immigration enforcement under protocols dating back to 1979, and pointed out that most officers and more than half the civilian workforce are Hispanic. The Los Angeles Police Protective League also criticised Raman, noting that she voted against hiring 170 officers to replace retiring staff earlier this year.

How it is being reported

• LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell slams Nithya Raman’s anti-cop message while he touts falling LA crime rate, debunks ICE cooperation claimsIn exclusive comments to the California Post, McDonnell said the socialist mayoral candidate was off-base when she criticized him.New York Post · 28 Oct, 03:27
• LAPD union leader warns against mayoral candidate Nithya Raman's stances on public drug use, police staffingLos Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman clashed with Graham Stephan on "The Iced Coffee Hour" over public drug use and police staffing as the LAPD union warns against her policies.Fox News · 27 Oct, 21:00
• Nithya Raman torches LAPD in yet another vicious attack on chief Jim McDonnell — but admits she has no idea who could do it betterLA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman launched yet another attack on LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell — who the socialist said she would boot if electedNew York Post · 27 Oct, 19:39

In this story: Nithya Raman · Jim McDonnell · Los Angeles Police Department · Los Angeles

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