Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer, Counterterrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, Los Angeles Police Department
E-mail: michael.downing@lapd.lacity.org
Phone: (213) 379-1735
Areas of Interest
1) community policing in the context of counterterrorism: convergence strategy
2) lessons for counter-radicalization learned from anti-gang efforts
Biography
Deputy Chief Michael Downing lives in Southern California and attended the University of Southern California where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1982 and completed POST Command College in 1997. In 2007, he completed the FBI’s Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Training (LinCTs) Pacific Program.
He served as the Commanding Officer, Hollywood Community Police Station, from July 1999 to April 16, 2005, where he oversaw a command of 300 sworn and 40 civilian personnel providing service to a diverse residential population that exceeds 300,000 with an area that spans 17.2 square miles.
He was promoted to Commander in April of 2005 and was assigned as the Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations-South Bureau, a command serving nearly 700,000 people, four service Areas and 1,200 police officers in South Los Angeles. In this capacity he oversaw patrol operations, detectives, vice, and the administration of Bureau operations.
In April 2006, Michael Downing was transferred to Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau and in April 2007 he was promoted to Deputy Chief as the commanding officer of the bureau. In this capacity he commands two operational divisions which oversee the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center, Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Section, Criminal Investigative Section, Organized Crime, Surveillance Section, Hazardous Devices/Materials Section, Archangel, and LAX K-9 Section. He completed an eight week attachment to the New Scotland Yard’s Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command SO 15 and has testified before congressional sub-committees relative to radicalization, intelligence, homeland security and information sharing.
Deputy Chief Downing has also worked with the Department of Justice, traveling to South America, Africa, Turkey, and Poland in an effort to transition large national police organizations into democratic civilian policing models.
He resides in Southern California with his wife and two teenage daughters. Together the family enjoys the outdoors, water sports, sailing and athletics.