Former Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton is warning that mayoral candidate Nithya Raman’s proposal to remove LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell could trigger a mass departure of officers and disrupt security planning for the 2028 Olympics.
Bratton, who reshaped the LAPD during his seven-year tenure and twice served as New York City’s police commissioner, denounced Raman’s pledge to replace McDonnell—his longtime friend and former second-in-command—as “political malfeasance” two weeks before the Nov. 3 election.
In an exclusive interview with The California Post on Monday, Bratton said Raman’s policing agenda could push more officers out of a department already facing a serious staffing shortage.
“I can almost predict with certainty… that you will see a potential mass exodus from the LAPD with that type of political posturing and political drama,” Bratton warned.
His remarks came after he defended McDonnell in a social media post over the weekend. The two men have known each other for nearly five decades.
Bratton said his most pressing concern is the potential impact of changing chiefs less than two years before the Olympics, when millions of spectators, thousands of athletes and world leaders are expected in Los Angeles.
McDonnell has worked on Olympic security planning since becoming chief in 2024, building on relationships developed over decades in Southern California law enforcement.
“It’s political malfeasance to consider taking out the master planner,” Bratton told The California Post.
“Why would you take one of the most seasoned police professionals in America and replace him?”
McDonnell served as an LAPD officer during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, giving him direct experience with the city’s previous Olympic security operation.
Still, Bratton emphasized that protecting the Games today will involve threats far beyond those faced four decades ago, including terrorism, cyberattacks and drones capable of targeting stadiums and other large gatherings.
“Twenty-first century policing is very different than what went on back in 1984,” Bratton said.
He also cited the political challenges of coordinating security under President Donald Trump in a predominantly Democratic city already engaged in disputes over federal immigration enforcement.
“The police chief is going to be somebody in the middle who’s going to have to be very adept at collaboration and coordination, and Jimmy has those skills,” Bratton said.
Bratton’s criticism carries added significance because his professional relationship with McDonnell played a role in the LAPD’s transformation.
The pair first met in 1976, when Bratton was a Boston police sergeant and McDonnell was a civilian clerk working alongside him.
When Bratton became LAPD chief in 2002, the department was trying to recover from the Rampart corruption scandal and years of strained relations between police and minority communities.
Bratton promoted McDonnell, then a commander, to assistant chief and deputy, relying on a 100-page reform plan McDonnell had prepared to help guide the department’s overhaul.
During Bratton’s tenure, crime rates declined, the LAPD’s staffing increased from roughly 9,200 to 10,000 officers, and the department expanded its community-policing programs.
After Bratton stepped down in 2009, McDonnell became one of the leading contenders to succeed him, alongside another well-known name: George Gascón.
Neither got the job. Charlie Beck succeeded Bratton, while McDonnell went on to become Long Beach police chief and Los Angeles County sheriff before Mayor Karen Bass appointed him LAPD chief in 2024.
Now, 17 years later, McDonnell’s future has become a flashpoint in the mayoral race.
Raman has repeatedly criticized his handling of protests against federal immigration raids, accusing the department of failing to protect demonstrators and calling for new leadership.
At an Oct. 5 campaign rally, she pledged to replace him, arguing that Los Angeles needs a different approach to public safety.
But Bratton warned that officers could flee if they believe the next mayor doesn’t support them.
“Having a mayor who does not support you, why would you stay?” Bratton asked.
As The Post has reported, LAPD staffing has fallen to approximately 8,500 officers, down from roughly 10,000 when Bratton departed in 2009.
“I don’t actually know how he’s policing that city with so few police officers,” Bratton told The Post.
Despite the shortage, LAPD reported that homicides dropped 19% in 2025, from 284 to 230, the lowest total since 1966. Shooting victims fell 8%, from 981 to 899.
The former chief also weighed in on speculation that Gascón could replace McDonnell, warning that the former district attorney was unpopular among LAPD officers.
“So if she were to bring him or somebody like him into the department, that complicates it even further,” he warned.
Raman has previously denied she would appoint Gascón.
Bratton is now executive chairman of Teneo’s Risk Division.
“You need stability for the next couple of years out there,” he told The Post.
“You don’t need instability.”
