LOS ANGELES—Former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna was sworn in as Los Angeles County’s next sheriff on Dec. 3, capping a campaign that led to the ouster of incumbent Alex Villanueva.
“Today I stand before you wearing this brand-new uniform—and now I have a badge to go with it—with an incredible amount of respect because it’s the same uniform worn by those deputies who patrolled the neighborhood where I grew up,” Luna said, noting that when he played cops and robbers with other children, he always wanted to play the cop.
The Dec. 3 ceremony at the county Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles was attended by Luna’s family, current and former city and police officials from Long Beach, and Los Angeles County officials including four of the five county supervisors, with only Holly Mitchell being absent.
Luna promised to be open to different approaches to tackle what he acknowledged was a rising tide of crime in the county.
“There can be no sacred cows,” Luna said.
He said the sheriff’s department has succeeded over the years “because it has never been afraid to innovate. ... So we must look at policies and strategies that have succeeded in other places and not be afraid to bring them here.”
Luna implored the public to defend “good policing,” while at the same time recognizing the need to hold law enforcement accountable.
“But even as we make mistakes, we can and we must keep the public trust,” he said.
The new sheriff said he'll focus on three overriding principles:
