Former Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton is cautioning 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 led the LAPD for seven years and served twice as New York City’s police commissioner, called Raman’s pledge to replace his longtime friend and former deputy “political malfeasance” just two weeks before the Nov. 3 election.
In an exclusive Monday interview with The California Post, Bratton said Raman’s policing agenda could push more officers out of a department already facing a serious staffing crisis.
“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 said.
His remarks came days after he defended McDonnell in a social media post. The two men have known each other for nearly five decades.
Bratton said his central concern is the timing of any leadership change, with Los Angeles less than two years away from hosting the Olympics. Millions of visitors, thousands of athletes and numerous world leaders are expected to arrive in the city for the Games.
Since taking over as chief in 2024, McDonnell has played a role in Olympic security planning while drawing on relationships built during 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 serving as an LAPD officer during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, giving him direct experience with the city’s previous Olympic security effort.
Still, Bratton noted that protecting the Games today would involve threats far more complex than those confronting authorities four decades ago, including terrorism, cyberattacks and drones capable of targeting stadiums or major crowds.
“Twenty-first century policing is very different than what went on back in 1984,” Bratton said.
He also highlighted the political challenges of managing Olympic security while President Donald Trump is in office and Los Angeles, a heavily Democratic city, remains locked 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 helped shape a pivotal period in Los Angeles policing.
The pair met in 1976, when Bratton was a Boston police sergeant and McDonnell was a civilian clerk working with him.
By the time Bratton became LAPD chief in 2002, the department was struggling to rebuild its reputation after the Rampart corruption scandal and years of strained relations between police and minority communities.
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Bratton elevated McDonnell, then a commander, to assistant chief and deputy. He also relied on a 100-page reform blueprint McDonnell had authored as the department pursued a broad overhaul.
During Bratton’s tenure, crime declined, the LAPD’s sworn ranks grew from about 9,200 to 10,000 officers, and the department expanded its community-policing programs.
When Bratton stepped down in 2009, McDonnell was considered one of the leading contenders to succeed him. Another prominent candidate was 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.”
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