Oaklanders will learn who wants to be the city’s next police chief at a public forum this Thursday. The special meeting will be hosted by the Oakland Police Commission at City Hall starting at 6:30 p.m.
The commission is a volunteer body responsible for sending a shortlist of finalists for the police chief job to the mayor, who makes the final hiring decision. According to a brief press release, the commission will hear from candidates and discuss their qualifications. The commission is supposed to forward their finalists to Mayor Sheng Thao on March 1.
This is the commission’s second attempt to find a replacement for former OPD Chief LeRonne Armstrong, who Mayor Sheng Thao fired last February. Armstrong, who has filed a lawsuit against the city alleging he was wrongfully fired, was on the shortlist of candidates the commission sent to Thao last December. Thao has repeatedly said she won’t consider Armstrong as a candidate. She rejected the entire slate, which also included San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen—who is no longer employed there following allegations of alleged misconduct and an investigation—and Tucson Assistant Police Chief Kevin Hall.
It’s unclear who is on the new list. The police commission has been in a media blackout since January. Unlike the last search process, no names have been leaked.
The police commission isn’t required to host a public forum to interview candidates, and it didn’t during last year’s search. But it’s not without precedent: In 2020, the police commission and then-Mayor Libby Schaaf held a virtual public meeting to interview four candidates for the police chief job, which ultimately went to Armstrong.
Darren Allison has served as the acting police chief since Armstrong’s departure. While Allison has been praised for keeping the department going during a challenging year, city officials are under pressure to find a permanent chief.Residents who want to attend the police chief candidates forum in person can do so by going to City Hall. People can also watch a live video from home.
