Raman Says She Would Replace LAPD Chief if Elected

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman says she would replace Police Chief Jim McDonnell if elected, but has not set a timetable or identified a successor. She says choosing a new chief would require a search and consultation with the Police Commission and City Council. Raman has made McDonnell’s leadership a public point of difference in the mayoral campaign. In a recent interview, she said the chief must deliver public-safety outcomes while building trust with immigrant communities. She also alleged that the LAPD shares information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through fingerprint databases and Flock cameras, and criticized the department for not making neighborhood-level safety information available and for not issuing an officer-involved-shootings report. McDonnell disputes the immigration-enforcement allegation. He said LAPD protocols dating to 1979 prohibit cooperation with immigration enforcement and described the department’s mission as protecting communities. The supplied accounts do not independently establish whether information-sharing occurs, leaving the competing claims unresolved. McDonnell also defended the department’s performance, saying...