Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell has been elected as the new chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

McDonnell, an LAPD deputy chief before serving as sheriff, will become the department's 59th police chief after a search began months ago following Chief Michel Moore's resignation in February.

He was elected sheriff in November 2014, but lost to Alex Villanueva in a re-election campaign in 2018. He also served as chief of the Long Beach Police Department for five years.

“I founded the LAPD Academy 43 years ago. I love this city and understand the modern challenges our officers face as they work to protect it,” McDonnell said in a statement Friday. “It is a great honor to lead the men and women of the LAPD. I will work hard to ensure their work to keep Angelenos safe is supported. “Mayor Bass' public safety efforts reflect thoughtful, compassionate, and solutions-focused approaches to policing.”

“I appreciated her trust in me and look forward to working closely with her to make Los Angeles a safer city.”

Born in Massachusetts, McDonnell began his law enforcement career in 1981 as a 22-year-old graduate of the Los Angeles Police Academy. He served with the LAPD for 29 years and held every rank from officer to deputy.

McDonnell holds a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Executive Institute and completed executive education programs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Sources also told the I-Team that finalists for the position included McDonnell, Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and former Deputy Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos, who left the LAPD in 2021 to serve as chief of investigations for the L.A. District Attorney George Gascón worked.

McDonnell, who was an LAPD deputy chief before becoming sheriff, has been described as the “leading candidate” by multiple sources.

Dominic Choi served as interim chief of the Los Angeles Police Department following Moore's departure.

The mayor had promised to make the selection by the end of September. Her office declined to name the final three candidates and released little information about the evaluation process or when an announcement would be made.

“I have been clear from the beginning,” Bass said in a statement released Friday morning. “My top priority as mayor is to ensure Angelenos and our neighborhoods are safer today than they were yesterday. Chief McDonnell is a leader, an innovator and a changemaker, and I look forward to working with him to grow and strengthen the LAPD and deepen relationships with communities across the city and ensure that Los Angeles is alert and prepared for whatever comes our way.”

Applicants for the position who were not among the three finalists were notified more than a week ago.

The city hired an executive search firm to find candidates months ago — after former chief Michel Moore accelerated his retirement plans and left the department in February.

Dozens of applicants were evaluated by the firm, then the Board of Police Commissioners selected the three it thought were best suited for the job and forwarded those names to the mayor's office.

NBCLA's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.