Chief Sean McDonagh started his journey as a police officer in 1999 in Australia and moved to the United States to continue his career in late 2016. At a very young age, a family friend in law enforcement inspired his career choice by giving McDonagh a police hat. His career in public service includes stints with the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Australian Commonwealth, and Royal Australian Navy and Air Force. 

In this Q&A, Chief McDonagh delves into details about his story and journey, highlighting the value of immigrants in the workforce and the need for permitting lawful permanent resident (LPR) hiring in law enforcement. 

As of July 10, 2024, Chief McDonagh serves in Monte Vista, Colorado. Previously he served in Rocky Ford, Colorado. The chief’s responses have been edited for length and clarity. 

What led you to work in law enforcement in the United States? 

I moved to the United States in 2016 and witnessed massive issues with recruitment and retention across the country, but was initially unable to help, because I was still in the immigration process, which took years to navigate legally. Once I had permanent residency, I could legally work as a police officer, but only in certain states and agencies, as most only allow U.S. citizens to serve as police officers. As a result, I started my career in law enforcement in Colorado, where they do allow LPRs to become police officers. 

How has your own experience as an immigrant shaped your viewpoint as police chief in the U.S.? 

Having policed in a different country certainly allowed me to bring a different perspective and different ideas to the team that I worked with in Rocky Ford, Colorado. When I took the helm of the Rocky Ford Police Department in mid 2023, it was nothing short of an absolute mess. It had a severely damaged reputation, a very scandalous past and a significant history of officer misconduct and corruption, so much so that I was warned about taking on the agency when I was considering applying for it. The attitude was, “You can’t fix that place.”  

I was of the perspective that if nobody stood up and did what needed to be done to fix the agency, then nothing would ever change. We’re supposed to be the good guys, so we have to set that example and tackle the problems, no matter how daunting they may seem. We run toward danger while others run away, so that’s how I tackled the issues in Rocky Ford. 

The community was screaming for change from outside of the region, as previous administrations had all been local and very clearly unsuccessful. Being “different” and from another country really seemed to give me a head start on affirming that necessary change. And within a year, the agency is fully staffed with a waiting list of candidates applying to become police officers. We’ve rebuilt public trust, a lot of which was through brutal honesty, a huge push for transparency through social media, and approachability. Desperately needed public safety improvements for Rocky Ford and rebuilding the agency from the ground up, was my main objective. That involved a few people who don’t wish to comply with public safety standards and/or who don’t abide by the laws of the state, disliking their interaction with police. I won’t apologize for doing what needed doing and taking a hard line on it. We have an amazing team performing valuable work in ensuring public safety for our citizens and protecting the vulnerable from harm.  

What kind of knowledge have you gained about the immigration process and being an immigrant in leadership positions? 

My experience in the immigration process is derived entirely from navigating it with my family. It’s a complex and daunting process, not to mention very expensive! It is also a process that is very drawn out and this creates a feeling of not being grounded, as you’re waiting for a decision on whether you can stay, or have to leave. It makes it hard to call a place home when you’re not sure if you’ll be permitted to stay. 

Being an immigrant yourself, what changes do you hope to see in U.S. immigration policy? What changes do you hope to implement in your community?   

I understand that there are so many people trying to immigrate to the United States, but it would be fantastic to see some more efficiency in the process to reduce the wait times for the processing of paperwork. It creates an air of instability for families.  

Rocky Ford has a significant immigrant population, many who are seasonable employees of the various large farms and ranches that produce here in the valley. They’re a very important part of the community and form a large portion of our workforce. Nonetheless, we’re all required to adhere to the laws of this great nation and state. 

In July, I am moving to Monte Vista, Colorado, as their new chief of police, and they have a similar situation with respect to immigrants and their importance to the work performed on food production in the region.  

What inspired you to join the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF), and what aspect of the task force do you look forward to being a part of?   

The fact that the LEITF is working on issues relating to immigration. I feel that my experience as an immigrant who also has experience in policing both here and overseas, gives me a unique perspective on the issues that this group is addressing.  

I would like to see the task force continue to advocate that more states look into allowing those qualified non-citizen candidates work as police officers. They’d obviously still need to meet the stringent background checks and ‘quality of candidate’ requirements, just like anybody else applying does. But if a permanent resident can serve in the various branches of the United States military and die serving this great country, I see no reason that would withstand public scrutiny that they cannot serve on the mainland as a police officer and improve public safety. By disallowing lawful permanent residents to apply, we’re automatically disqualifying potentially amazing candidates that could help fill law enforcement officer vacancies across the nation. Our goal should be to fill these vacancies with appropriately qualified candidates with public safety as their main priority, including lawful permanent residents like me.