11:45am | After a hectic day that saw a high-ranking commander leave the department and a dangerous pursuit that ended in gunshots, Long Beach Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell took time to reflect on the day’s events and his first few months at the helm.

While officers were still investigating the dangerous pursuit of an armed robbery suspect that ended when the suspect stopped in Shoreline Village and was shot by authorities, McDonnell said that high-profile incidents have occurred in Long Beach recently because of its accessibility to suspects fleeing on local freeways. Many of the crimes have been widely televised.

“We’ve had the opportunity to showcase the good work of the men and women in these situations,” he said. “The freeway system is bringing people into our system. We will aggressively pursue them and try to arrest them.”

McDonnell also said he would be sorry to see Division Commander Jay Johnson leave after 23 years with the department to become Chief of the Newport Beach Police, but that he could relate to Johnson’s desire to make his own name.  McDonnell left a long and established career with the Los Angeles Police Department to come to the LBPD in February.

“I understand his feeling,” McDonnell said. “It’s hard to move on from the town you grew up in. But on the other hand its great to be able to make your own mark in a new atmosphere.”

Johnson is the third high-ranking LBPD officer to leave the department for a Chief position in another city in the past month. Johnson told the staging-live.lbpost.com yesterday that other cities look for leadership from Long Beach officers, and McDonnell agreed that it reflects very well on the department.

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