Los Angeles Police Chief James McDonnell ’81 Speaks at Saint Anselm College

On Thursday, March 19, 2026, Los Angeles Police Chief James McDonnell ’81HD’19 returned to Saint Anselm College to meet with students, faculty, alumni, and members of the law enforcement community. He spoke about his journey and some of the current challenges facing the law enforcement community. The College also presented McDonnell with the 2025 Joseph P. Collins Alumni Award of Merit.

McDonnell currently serves as the 59th Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. With more than 40 years of leadership experience in law enforcement, he is nationally recognized for his commitment to community policing, public safety reform, and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

At three different events – a breakfast keynote, a panel discussion on community policing, and an informal lunch with students and faculty – McDonnell shared observations, advice, and reflections from his impressive career.

During his keynote at breakfast with members of the law enforcement community in attendance, McDonnell spoke about his path from the Hilltop to his current role. 

“I really didn't appreciate the value of [the humanities] until I left here, and then more so each year since then,” shared McDonnell. “If I had a message for the people going to school here today [it] would be to pay attention to the little things that you get here, the things that people don't make a deal, a big deal, about; how people treat each other, how you kind of look at the horizon, how you look for opportunities to help other people. Those are the kind of unstated things that just become part of who you are because of the environment here.” 

Following breakfast, many attendees joined McDonnell, Michael Burnett ’04, Chief Operating Officer of Stratoscope Holdings, and Lieutenant Matthew Barter ’08 of the Manchester Police Department in a panel, moderated by Criminal Justice Professor Peter Cordella, about trends in policing and how that would impact the types of students they are looking to recruit. They discussed the increasing complexities police officers need to navigate, the rise of evidence-based policing, and the need for law enforcement to look at out-of-the-box solutions – from new recruiting tactics to public-private partnerships. 

The morning ended with undergraduate and graduate students from the Criminal Justice Department along with faculty members having lunch with McDonnell. During that time John Bierne '26 presented McDonnell, who was a member of the team during his time at Saint Anselm College, with a Men’s Rugby ball and jersey signed by the current team.