LOS ANGELES – Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnellwho was sworn in Friday as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, will draw one of the highest U.S. police chief salaries for a major city.

Before the ceremony, the city council approved McDonnell’s base salary of $450,000, which the LA Board of Police Commissioners requested. That’s down from the board’s original proposal of $507,509 — which was a more than $150,000 increase over the previous chief’s salary.

The salary range for the position was set at $408,475 to $507,509 during the search process.

The previous boss, Michel Moore, who announced his retirement in January, he made a base salary of $391,268 in 2023, according to city comptroller data.

McDonnell, 65, will take over a force of nearly 9,000 officers led by Acting Chief Dominic Choi.

The commissioner of the New York Police Department, who oversees the nation’s largest police department with more than 30,000 officers, earns about $243,000, according to city records for the last two commissioners. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling makes $275,748, according to city records posted online.

McDonnell will also earn more than the LA County Sheriff’s current salary of $397,340, according to county records.

The City Council confirmed McDonnell’s appointment Friday in a 10-2 vote, with City Councilors Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez opposed.

Some have criticized the decision to pay McDonnell what they call an “exorbitant” salary while the city council faces budget problems.

“Why wouldn’t we start it at a slower pace? Given the situation the city is in,” Police Commissioner Maria Lou Calanche said during a meeting Tuesday.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit think tank Police Executive Research Forum, said police chiefs on the West Coast generally earn more than their counterparts on the East Coast, according to a 2021 survey carried out in over 300 departments throughout the country.

And he said LA is traditionally among the biggest, even though McDonnell’s salary is $100,000 more than the previous chief’s salary.

“Police officer salaries across the country have been significantly impacted by a large number of resignations and retirements,” Wexler said. “As entry-level salaries have increased, so has executive compensation.”

The $450,000 salary does not include benefits or potential bonuses. McDonnell will also be allowed to continue receiving pension payments from his previous roles.

“I’m honored to get what the committee felt the job was worth, I competed for the job, I was fortunate enough to be appointed,” McDonnell said of his compensation, which he described as ” somewhat middle” salary range and reflecting his experience and education.

The vote came at the end of a long and tumultuous period of public comment and questions from city councilors, during which several people were thrown out of council chambers. McDonnell’s appointment has been strongly opposed by immigration advocates, who say he allowed federal authorities to operate freely while he was sheriff and shared information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Maria Estrada, a Service Employees International Union worker, said at the board meeting Friday that she remembers when McDonnell was sheriff and her co-workers reported the crime against them.

“Some of these colleagues were deported,” she said. “Thousands of us in this community are afraid of this man taking office.”

McDonnell addressed those concerns during his confirmation hearing.

“I want to be clear. The LAPD will protect LA’s immigrant community. We will not cooperate with mass deportations and, on an individual level, officers will not take steps to determine a person’s immigration status or arrest them for that status,” McDonnell said. “Los Angeles is a city of immigrants, and my job is to protect this city. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

He acknowledged the fears of President Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday and his campaign promises mass deportation. McDonnell said he would not work with federal agencies on immigration enforcement matters.

Mayor Karen Bass chose McDonnell over three candidates selected by a civilian board of Los Angeles police commissioners that included Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Deputy Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos. Both were reported by the Los Angeles Times as finalists for the position. Bass met with hundreds of LAPD officers and community leaders before making a decision.

McDonnell was elected LA County Sheriff in 2014 to oversee the largest sheriff’s department in the US. Before that, he spent 29 years with the LAPD and served as Long Beach’s police chief for nearly five years.