LOS ANGELES – Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnellwho was sworn in Friday as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, will receive one of the highest police chief salaries in the United States for a major city.

Before the ceremony, the City Council approved McDonnell’s base salary of $450,000, requested by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. That’s down from the board’s original proposal of $507,509, representing an increase of more than $150,000 from the former chief’s salary.

The salary range for the position was set between $408,475 and $507,509 during the search process.

The former leader, Michel Moore, who announced his retirement as of January, he earned a base salary of $391,268 in 2023, according to city comptroller data.

McDonnell, 65, will take charge of a force of nearly 9,000 officers led by acting chief Dominic Choi.

The commissioner of the New York Police Department, who oversees the nation’s largest police department with more than 30,000 officers, makes about $243,000, according to city records for the last two commissioners. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling makes $275,748, according to city records posted online.

McDonnell will also earn more than the current Los Angeles County sheriff’s salary of $397,340, according to county records.

The City Council confirmed McDonnell’s appointment Friday in a 10-2 vote, with Councilmen Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez opposing it.

Some have criticized the decision to pay McDonnell what they call an “exorbitant” salary as the city council faces budgetary problems.

“Why don’t we start it at a lower rate? Considering the situation the city is in,” Police Commissioner Maria Lou Calanche said during a meeting Tuesday.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit think tank Police Executive Research Forum, said West Coast police chiefs generally earn more than their East Coast counterparts, according to a 2021 survey of of more than 300 departments across the country.

And he said Los Angeles traditionally ranks among the highest, even though McDonnell’s salary is $100,000 more than the former chief’s.

“Police officer salaries across the country have been significantly impacted by a high number of resignations and retirements,” Wexler said. “As entry-level salaries have increased, executive compensation has also increased.”

The $450,000 salary does not include benefits or potential bonuses. McDonnell will also be allowed to continue to receive pensions from his previous role.

“I’m honored to have gotten what the commission felt this position was worth, I competed for the position, I was fortunate to be the one appointed,” McDonnell said of his remuneration, which he described as “a little average” compared to the average. salary scale and reflecting his experience and training.

The vote came after a long and tumultuous period of public comment and questioning of city council members, during which several people were removed from the council chambers. McDonnell’s appointment was heavily contested by immigration advocates, who say he allowed federal authorities to operate freely while he was sheriff and shared information with U.S. immigration authorities. immigration and customs.

Maria Estrada, a worker with the Service Employees International Union, said at the board hearing Friday that she remembers when McDonnell was sheriff and her co-workers reported crimes committed against them.

“Some of these colleagues were expelled,” she said. “Thousands of us here in this community are afraid of this man taking office. »

McDonnell addressed these concerns during his confirmation hearing.

“I want to be unequivocal. The LAPD will protect the immigrant community of Los Angeles. We will not cooperate with mass deportations, and at the individual level, agents will not take any action to determine a person’s immigration status or arrest them for that status,” McDonnell said. “Los Angeles is a city of immigrants and my job is to protect this city. This is exactly what I will do.

He acknowledged fears sparked by President Donald Trump’s victory Tuesday and his campaign promises to mass deportation. McDonnell said he would not work with federal agencies on immigration enforcement issues.

Mayor Karen Bass chose McDonnell over three candidates selected by a civilian board of Los Angeles police commissioners, which included Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Deputy Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos. Both were reported by the Los Angeles Times as finalists for the job. Bass met with hundreds of LAPD officers and community leaders before making his decision.

McDonnell was elected sheriff of Los Angeles County in 2014 to oversee the largest sheriff’s department in the United States. Before that, he spent 29 years with the LAPD and served as Long Beach police chief for nearly five years.