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Los Santos Police Department
Los Santos, San Andreas
News Release
Page 9
Thank You: Police Commissioner Alex Donnelly
There are certain moments in a person's lifetime where they will remember exactly where they were and exactly what they were doing at the time, down to the most minor and insignificant details. Moments like when man first walked on the moon or when John F. Kennedy was assassinated or when the Berlin Wall came down, signalling the fall of the Soviet Union. The Los Santos Police Department and the entire Law Enforcement community was similarly shocked this summer by the news that Chief of Police Alex Donnelly was moving on from his position as the LSPD's Chief of Police and assuming a new role within the department, as the Police Commissioner.
This news has been released to the public already, along with a fantastic summary of Commissioner Donnelly's career by the San Andreas State Government as well as a release from the LSPD Media Relations on who will be stepping up to take his place.
That said, we spoke to some of the Department's employees who knew Commissioner Donnelly when he was a Commander, Deputy Chief and Assistant Chief before his promotion to Chief of Police to try and understand a little more, his contribution and impact to the department.
We first asked, how would you sum up Commissioner Donnelly's time as the Chief of Police?
Police Commander Victor Einhart wrote:Overall Chief Donnelly's tenure as Chief of Police has mostly gone unnoticed by most officers in the department, signalling his ability to clearly steer the organization with minimal disruption to low-ranking personnel. In my mind, he has been able to navigate the various high-level issues in the department with care, such that most officers didn't even realize an issue existed at all. While I have disagreed with some decisions, I have developed a great deal of respect for his leadership over the years.
Assistant Chief Phillipe Sanchez wrote:Commissioner Donnelly’s time as the Chief of Police was a time of development and modernisation for the department and law enforcement within the state. Long gone were the old ways to working from the dawn of the department and focus of efforts was made on the development of all LEO careers.
Commissioner Donnelly’s key focus was to ensure all members of the department were doing their role to the highest standard possible and to ensure collaborative ways of working with other government agencies were explored. Under his direct leadership, the department has seen record breaking employment figures which speaks volumes for the environment he melded.
Police Captain Steve Smyth wrote:I've only ever experienced two Chiefs in my time, but the department has went through some very significant and complex changes and re-structuring during Donnelly's tenure, and I think the fact that it wasn't a complete shambles was probably testament to his leadership and how he managed the team around him.
Police Detective Isabella Cavallera wrote:Donnelly's chiefdom has been a time of stability. So many have come and gone during his long tenure but with Donnelly and Blake at the helm, it has felt like a very stable and continuous department, with an unwavering focus.
Deputy Chief Scott Dunbar wrote:Long, but on a more serious note, I think Commissioner Donnelly's tenure as Chief of Police was one of great change and improvement within the department. Commissioner Donnelly took over the department not long after the establishment of the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department. Donnelly took this challenge in strides and shaped the department into what it is today.
Police Captain Jaxon Nash wrote:I would sum up Commissioner Donnelly's time as Chief as fruitful. A lot of policies were changed for the better. The department continued to evolve as time went on bringing in new equipment, new renovations to Mission Row, the addition to new divisions.
Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala wrote:I think first and foremost, you have to consider it a resounding success. When I joined up in 2019, the Department got the job done but it was quite simplistic, which can be a good and a bad thing. I think though, particularly in 2020, professionalism was definitely one of the things that was immediately impacted. Chief Donnelly took the job quite seriously and in Assistant Chief Blake, he had the perfect foil. That first year, a lot in the department changed and it's quite telling that we're only just now at a point where we are looking to freshen things up, some three years later but even then, the nucleus of what Alex has instilled in the department is still very much there. I think that ultimately, in the final few months, a reset was perhaps the best decision for all parties but there is certainly a comfort knowing that he's still going to be somewhat involved in the overall direction of the Department, even if not the day to day. We bumped heads, a lot, sometimes I felt he was unreasonable and difficult to work for but the universal theme I've had from him the entire time he's been the Chief of Police is that he has a certain standard he demands, not just from others but from himself as well. For that, I have the upmost respect for the job he's done and in a number of ways, he's helped me be a better Police Officer, even if I didn't know it at the time.
Police Detective Cyrus Carver wrote:To sum Donnellys time up, I'd have a single word. Legendary. When you think of the Los Santos Police Department you just instantly think of Alex Donnelly. He put in effort to talk to anyone, no matter high or low in the ladder you were. If you needed anything he was an open ear and you actually felt like you mattered.
We followed that up, with asking, what do we feel his biggest achievement has been in the Police Department?
Police Commander Victor Einhart wrote:The biggest single achievement Chief Donnelly made was creating a solid leadership team. The current roster of leadership personnel is largely able to run the department without his input - a clear and resounding success for the department. A top-ranking leader cannot take on every task alone, and being able to have solid staff to delegate and run aspects of the department with minimal fuss can be a very difficult undertaking.
Assistant Chief Phillipe Sanchez wrote:I believe Commissioner Donnelly’s biggest achievement within the LSPD has been his ability to change the mentalities of all who have worked with him to view the Los Santos Police Department as more than just a job, and see it as a valuable career and family.
Police Captain Steve Smyth wrote:I'm not sure I can answer that on his behalf, but I'd imagine he'd feel that there's a much more structured and uniform approach to everything that the department does, compared to how it was when he took over.
Police Detective Isabella Cavallera wrote:I think that Donnelly's greatest personal achievement has probably been to attain the rank of Chief, but for the Department I would say it is the consistently high standards and smooth operation that the Department has seen during his tenure. I also appreciate his efforts to stand by his officers' side, and not acting like he is above them.
Deputy Chief Scott Dunbar wrote:I think his biggest achievement within the LSPD was his ability to establish a strong and stable command team. Before his appointment, there had been issues with key personnel living off their previous contributions. Donnelly made the difficult decisions and ensured that those serving in the most vital positions within the department were contributing adequately, something his predecessors had failed to do.
Police Captain Jaxon Nash wrote:I believe the biggest achievement within PD is the achievement he just reached. Becoming the newest Commissioner.
Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala wrote:The first thing that springs to mind when thinking about his biggest achievements and words like legacy, is structure. He set about, that first year, establishing a structure with people he felt shared his ideals of running a Police Department. Most of those individuals are still in those positions of responsibility today but speaking as someone who wasn't in that original roster, he created an environment where you wanted to challenge yourself to aspire to be a part of. You were held to account and I have been, on a number of occasions but accountability leads to better performance. He took a functional but slightly disorganised department and turned it into a machine, especially in those first couple years.
Police Detective Cyrus Carver wrote:His tenure. One of the longest serving members of the LSPD. If not, /THE/ longest serving member of the department. Another high praise achievement is his ability to hold the keys of power by making sure everyone is happy and I think thats very important in a leader. Making sure that everyone is happy.
Finally, we finished up by asking if those contacted had any words of encouragement they'd like to give Commissioner Donnelly in his new role?
Police Commander Victor Einhart wrote:I'm looking forward to Commissioner Donnelly's input into government functions. His perspective from the Los Santos Police Department I think will bring valuable insight and urgency when it comes to the Department's interactions with the State Government.
Assistant Chief Phillipe Sanchez wrote:You will do amazingly I have no doubt. The role is now for all of us so it will take some time to see what it entails and how it exactly works, but nonetheless I could not think of a better man for the job. Just don’t be like that one guy we used to have to endure!
Police Captain Steve Smyth wrote:Good luck in this new area of the non Government Commissioner role, I'm sure you'll excell in it in equal measures!
Police Detective Isabella Cavallera wrote:I have great faith in Donnelly's ability to represent the Department as a Commissioner. Based on my experience of him as a Chief I expect that he will be well qualified to execute his new duties, and will, from that position, be able to help the Department in executing its duties to serve the people.
Deputy Chief Scott Dunbar wrote:Honestly, words of encouragement are not my strong suit, I believe the Commissioner knows what he is doing, and I have no question that he will perform his new duties admirably.
Police Captain Jaxon Nash wrote:Some words of encouragement come straight from the redneck god Joe Dirt himself, "Keep on keeping on" and "life's a garden, just dig it"
Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala wrote:I think that if Commissioner Donnelly puts half of what he does into this new role as he did the last one, nothing but good things will come from it. Experience is an hard-earned currency but you can buy a lot with it. I'm not exactly sure on the role the Commissioner will take but I think whatever it is that he is going to be doing, he'll bring an unwavering professionalism and a dry wit to it. I look forward to seeing what is next for him in this exciting new chapter.
Police Detective Cyrus Carver wrote:I wish him the best and I hope he knows that just because he's not my chief anymore does not mean I am going to stop bothering him all day every day. I also hope he knows how much the department will miss him.
Finally, I think regardless of who Commissioner Donnelly has been to us through his years of service, it's a testament to his hard work and dedication that the department is at the level it is today. We talk in the Academy about pride in the uniform and to be frank, I've been proud to serve in Commissioner Donnelly's Police Department and I know there are many that share the uniform that feel the same.