Dr Luann Pannell

Director, Police Training and Education, LAPD

Dr. Luann Pannell began her career with LAPD as a Police Psychologist in 2000 and in 2006
was promoted to Director of Police Training and Education by Chief Bratton. In this role she is responsible for the review and evaluation of all LAPD training curricula to ensure relevancy,
continuity, and compliance with State and Federal criteria and Department policy. She researches best practices in police training and adult learning to continually improve and advance LAPD
training. In keeping with this role, Dr. Pannell led the team responsible for the complete redesign of the LAPD Command Development Couse in 2006, and the LAPD Academy in 2008. The LAPD Academy was the first academy in California to work with POST (Peace Officer Standards in Training) to shift from single topic training into integrated Scenario-Based Training (SBT). In 2015, she created a training series unique to law enforcement, Police Sciences and Leadership (PSL), which brings academy graduates back together at 11 months and 3 years after graduation. By collaborating with established credible leaders, PSL1 went into implementation in 2016 and PSL 2 in 2019. The goal is to create a stronger foundation of skills, resiliency, and purpose for the first five years of working in law enforcement. Ultimately, the goal of LAPD training is to cultivate healthy and resilient officers through increased competence, confidence and capability to partner with diverse communities to enhance public safety.

One of Dr. Pannell’s strengths is her ability to collaborate with various groups and constituencies. Her commitment to collaboration has enhanced a variety of community relationships with LAPD and has resulted in new training. By utilizing shared partnerships, LAPD has been able to incorporate feedback from several key communities on topics such as Fair and Equitable Policing for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning (LGBTQ), Mental Illness, Autism, and Gang Intervention. Dr. Pannell is the LAPD chair of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) where she serves with a co-chair from the community to ensure there is diverse input into police training.

Dr. Pannell is a distinguished instructor in several LAPD schools including the LAPD and LAFD Leadership Programs and the Command Development Course. She has been one of the co-authors and presenters of the “Vicarious Trauma: Why it Hurts to Help” course to law enforcement professionals and first responders. While teaching in numerous Department schools, Dr. Pannell also consults in the selection and training of instructors, and conducts evaluation research to improve training methodology and content. She chairs the Training Assessment Committee (TAC) which assesses all requests for training to identify the best delivery method for accelerated learning, retention, behavior change, and organizational change.

In addition to her work with LAPD, in 2009 the INTERPOL Group of Experts on Police Training (IGEPT) was established and she became the first to serve as a Co-Chair. In this role, they have overseen the development of an E-Journal to increase sharing of best practices in training on an International level. In 2017, she served in-residence as a Visiting Fellow at the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM), for their applied leadership course for executives (graduate level course credit). Dr. Pannell is a contributing author in two books, “Leading in Dangerous Situations” (2011), Sweeney, Matthews, & Lester (Ed)., and “Law Enforcement Ethics: Classic and Contemporary Issues” (2014), Brian Fitch (Ed.).
During her tenure as a police psychologist she consulted with a variety of specialized units including Juvenile Division, Scientific Investigation Division, Jail Division, Records and Identification Division, Recruitment and Employment Division, and Scientific Investigation Division. She also responded to SWAT call-outs as a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team and a member of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). As a CIRT member, she assisted LAPD employees in managing their reactions to critical incidents. She participated in ride-a-longs, provided management consultation, and presented training on a variety of issues including stress management and the psychological consequences of constant exposure to violence.

Dr. Pannell received a M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the School of Psychology at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, as well as a Master’s Degree in Theology, Cross-Cultural Studies. Her Bachelor’s Degree is also in psychology from Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho. Prior to joining LAPD, Dr. Pannell spent several years working within Community Mental Health and the Veteran’s Administration, consulting victims and families exposed to traumatic instances and violence. Dr. Pannell has written articles and presented at psychological conferences on the relationship between exposure to community violence and psychological distress, the collaboration between Mental Health Professionals and Law Enforcement, and improving training outcomes for law enforcement. Her dissertation research was on “Children Exposed to Community Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Parental Monitoring.”