Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was expected to announce and introduce Friday morning the person she has chosen to become the next chief of police, several law enforcement sources and officials told NBC4’s I-Team.
The sources said they did not know for certain who Bass had selected, but said the finalists included former LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides, and former Assistant Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos, who left the LAPD in 2021 and has been working as the head of investigations for LA County District Attorney George Gascón.
A news conference with the mayor is scheduled for 9 a.m.
McDonnell, who was an assistant chief at LAPD prior to his term as sheriff, was described by several sources as the, ‘leading candidate.”
The mayor had promised to make the selection by the end of September. Her office declined to share the names of the final three candidates and released little information about the evaluation process or the timing of an announcement.
Applicants for the job who were not selected as one of the three finalists were notified more than a week ago.
The City hired an executive recruiting firm to search for candidates months ago — after former Chief Michel Moore accelerated his plans to retire and left the department in February.
Dozens of applicants were evaluated by the firm, then the Board of Police Commissioners selected the three it believed were most qualified for the job and forwarded those names to the Mayor’s office.