As we approach the end of 2024, we thank you and your families for your continued service to the City of Los Angeles. We are very much looking forward to working with our new chief of police, Jim McDonnell. Chief McDonnell has been a longtime leader, supporter and friend to Los Angeles reserve police officers. As many of you know, at this year’s Reserve Gala we recognized him as a Twice a Citizen Community Leader. Reserve Officer Dr. Kenji Inaba introduced him for the award. As The Rotator reported, “He is the first person to serve in senior executive leadership roles in the three largest policing agencies in Los Angeles County.” We thank Mayor Karen Bass for this outstanding choice.
We thank interim Chief of Police Dominic Choi for all he has done this past year for the Corps. We thank our Department reserve coordinator, Commander Gisselle Espinoza (former Reserve Police Officer 5-93R), and the entire Command Staff for your leadership. We remain grateful to Sergeant II Johnny Johnson and all the dedicated officers in the Reserve Unit downtown, as well as reserve coordinators Department-wide, for all you do to support the Reserve Corps.
As you will see, a substantial portion of this Rotator newsletter issue is about the mission to France, where 30 reserve officers represented the LAPD, the City of Los Angeles and American law enforcement on the worldwide stage at the Olympics in Paris. You will find the content fairly comprehensive, documenting one of the most important projects in the 80-plus-year history of the LAPD Reserve Corps. Having said that, we want to recognize and truly thank our Foundation Board director, Reserve Officer Bernard Khalili, for spearheading this project in ways that must never be forgotten.
The Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation (LAPRF) continues to serve those who serve with our ongoing initiatives, including training, equipment (recently, acquiring lifesaving wound-care kits), recruitment, scholarships, reimbursement for the Los Angeles Police Protective League’s Legal Defense, financial hardship, bereavement assistance and, of course, the Gala. As you may know, our Corps has suffered a few tragedies and other difficulties this past year (see the Presidents’ Message from the summer edition for more details). This has necessitated a discussion on wellness initiatives to address the challenges your families face. The efforts of our Board of Directors remain ongoing and, on behalf of them, we say to you: Stay safe this holiday season.