The First
LAPD: In December, Commander Donald Graham was promoted to Deputy Chief, making him the first Filipino-American to achieve the rank.
Congratulations, Deputy Chief!
He was born in Manhattan, New York, and came to California when he was a teenager. He joined the LAPD in November 1995.
Deputy Chief Graham has worked in all four bureaus of the Department and has taken on numerous assignments. After completing his probation in Pacific Area, he transferred to Devonshire Area, where he worked as a Patrol Officer and Sr. Lead Officer. While at Devonshire, he received numerous commendations, including recognition for Officer of the Month, Officer of the Quarter, and the Devonshire Officer of the Year for 2005 for his work at reducing crime at the Northridge Mall.
He had many more accomplishments as a Sergeant in Southeast Area, Sergeant II at Operations-Central Bureau, Office of Operations, and Lieutenant at West Valley Area. While at West Valley, he served as the area’s Acting Detective Commanding Officer from October 2012 until February 2013.
On October 5, 2014, he was promoted to Captain and assumed command of the Central Patrol Division. At Central Division, he became deeply involved in the growing homeless crisis affecting Los Angeles. He was part of the architect team that revamped the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI) in Skid Row to the Resources Enhancement Services and Enforcement Team (RESET), creating a template for the Citywide creation of the Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement (HOPE) team. At HOPE, Commander Graham worked with numerous government and private agencies to stem the tide of violent crime against people experiencing homelessness.
In December 2016, he transferred to North Hollywood Area and was promoted to Area Commanding Officer. During his two and a half years at North Hollywood, he worked with a strong leadership and supervisory team, a supportive community, and strong volunteer corps, as well as a staff of hard-working and dedicated officers who presided over two straight years of crime reduction.
In July 2019, he became the first Filipino-American to be sworn in as a Los Angeles Police Commander. He was appointed by Chief Michel Moore to be the Department’s Homeless Coordinator under the Office of Operations.
