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One of Los Angeles’ most influential former police chiefs is warning that mayoral candidate Nithya Raman’s plan to oust LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell could spark a mass exodus of officers and throw security preparations for the 2028 Olympics into chaos.
Bill Bratton, who transformed the LAPD during his seven-year tenure and twice served as New York City’s police commissioner, blasted Raman’s pledge to replace his longtime friend and former second-in-command as “political malfeasance” just two weeks before the Nov. 3 election.
In an exclusive interview with The California Post on Monday, Bratton warned that Raman’s approach to policing could drive officers out of a department already struggling with a severe 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 comments follow a social media post over the weekend defending McDonnell, whom he has known for nearly 50 years.
But Bratton’s biggest concern is what happens if Los Angeles replaces its top cop less than two years before the Olympics, when millions of spectators, thousands of athletes and world leaders are expected to descend on the city.
McDonnell has been involved in that 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 was an LAPD officer during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, giving him firsthand experience with the city’s last Olympic security operation.
But Bratton warned that policing the Games today presents far greater challenges than it did four decades ago, including terrorism, cyber threats and drones that could threaten stadiums and large gatherings.
“Twenty-first century policing is very different than what went on back in 1984,” Bratton said.
He also pointed to the political complications of coordinating security under President Donald Trump in a heavily Democratic city already embroiled 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.
The warning carries particular weight because Bratton and McDonnell share a history that helped reshape policing in Los Angeles.
The two first met in 1976, when Bratton was a Boston police sergeant and McDonnell was a civilian clerk working alongside him.
When Bratton took command of the LAPD in 2002, the department was struggling to recover from the Rampart corruption scandal and decades of mistrust between police and minority communities.
He promoted McDonnell, then a commander, to assistant chief and his second-in-command, relying on a 100-page reform plan McDonnell had developed to help overhaul the department.
Under Bratton, crime rates fell, police staffing grew from approximately 9,200 to 10,000 officers, and the department expanded its community policing efforts.
When Bratton resigned in 2009, McDonnell emerged as one of the leading candidates to replace him, alongside another familiar 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.”