L.A. Mayor Karen Bass swore in Dominic Choi as the interim chief of the Los Angeles Police Department on Friday. He is the first Asian-American chief in the history of the LAPD. In her opening remarks, Mayor Karen Bass reflected on the historic moment that was about to take place.
“Today with the oath I'm about to administer, Chief Choi will become the first Korean American to ever lead a major city police department in this country,” she said. “How's that for a little pressure?”
Bass also applauded Choi’s “selfless service.”
“I asked you why you didn't wanna be the permanent chief, and you said, ‘It wasn't about titles. It was about service to me,’” she said. “ That is exactly what we need in a leader.”
In his speech, Choi said that being interim chief is more than a personal achievement.
“It symbolizes the progress that we're making towards a more inclusive and representative law enforcement agency,” he said. “It speaks volumes about the diversity that this city has the vibrancy and the dynamics that we all know it to be. And as we celebrate this milestone, let us recognize that our differences are our strengths. I know that's cliché, but it's absolutely true. We learn from one another every day, every moment and we need to really value and cherish those moments.”
Earlier this week, Choi spoke with KNX News Chief Correspondent Charles Feldman, where he said that as interim chief he doesn’t plan to change “a lot of things.”
“What I'm here to do is make sure that we stay on course, that those initiatives that were developed...and that we continue to, quite frankly, fight crime, build our community engagement, build public trust, increase employee wellness and morale,” he said.
Former LAPD Chief Michel Moore was also in attendance at the ceremony. He will stay on as a consultant.
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