LA County Sheriff-Elect Robert Luna held a press conference to lay out what he plans to tackle first. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News on Nov. 18, 2022.
Los Angeles County Sheriff-elect Robert Luna was sworn in to lead the nation's largest sheriff's department.
The ceremony took place at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles.
His term as the county's 34th sheriff begins at noon Monday. He has vowed to bring new leadership and accountability to a department that has nearly 10,000 sworn deputies.
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The 56-year-old former Long Beach Police chief, who defeated incumbent Sheriff Alex Villanueva in a fiercely contested Nov. 7 General Election, has begun establishing his leadership team.
On Wednesday, Luna announced he selected 28-year sheriff's department veteran April Tardy to serve as his interim undersheriff, making her the first woman to hold the position in the history of the department.
Jason Skeen, the commander of Personnel Command, was chosen to serve as Luna's interim chief of staff. Skeen is also a 28-year department veteran.
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"Both of these talented and experienced law enforcement leaders share my vision of a sheriff's department that is effective, compassionate and constitutional, and I look forward to serving with them starting on December 5th," Luna said in a statement.
As undersheriff, Tardy will be the department's second-in-command.
Skeen, meanwhile, will manage the sheriff's executive office and serve as a senior adviser.
Luna grew up in East Los Angeles and served with the Long Beach Police Department for 36 years. He lives in Long Beach with his wife and has two adult children.
City News Service contributed to this report.
