Oakland’s new police chief, Floyd Mitchell, introduced himself to city leaders and residents on Wednesday at a packed press conference in Oakland City Hall.
Mayor Sheng Thao praised Mitchell as a “smart crime fighter who delivers results” and who is committed to proven crime reduction strategies.
“He’s not flashy, but he will roll up his sleeves and do the real, impactful work to ensure our community’s success,” Thao said.
Mitchell, who will start the job in coming weeks, said he’s excited to collaborate with law enforcement, merchants, community organizers, and residents to improve public safety in Oakland. He shared a 100-day plan when he was interviewed last month by the Oakland Police Commission, which calls for substantial community outreach in his first weeks.
“Having served in this profession for most of my adult life, I fully understand the challenges that you face on a daily basis,” Mitchell said. “Know that I believe in you, I trust in you, and you have my utmost compassion and support as your police chief.”
Mitchell shared that he grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, which he said has similar public safety issues as Oakland. He’s the fifth of six children and credits his mother with doing the “heavy lifting” in raising him. Mitchell said he still owns the house in Kansas City where his mother lived.
He described his approach to policing as “high visibility, responsible proactive policing, that is procedurally just, data-driven, and grounded in evidence-based strategies that address our most difficult issues.” He added that he believes it is important to focus police resources on the small number of individuals responsible for a disproportionate share of crime—a core tenant of Oakland’s revived Ceasefire program.
Reporters asked Mitchell how he will approach the federal oversight that OPD has been under for over two decades. More than one former Oakland police chief has clashed with the federal monitor, Robert Warshaw. Thao fired the last chief, LeRonne Armstrong, after he publicly accused Warshaw of corruption and orchestrating his ouster.
Mitchell said his job as chief is to satisfy the requirements laid out in a document called the Negotiated Settlement Agreement, which outlines dozens of reforms that OPD needs to fulfill to lift federal oversight.
“I’m going to sit down with the monitor and identify specifically what we need to do, and how we need to do it, to get to the end of this road,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also fielded a question about what he learned working as police chief in Lubbock, Texas, where local media reported on problems with the 911 system. Mitchell said law enforcement leaders have been slow to understand the pressures placed on dispatchers, and that included himself. He noted that Lubbock spent over $400,000 on overtime for dispatchers because they were short staffed. He faulted himself for listening to the “formal communication chain” as opposed to “boots on the ground” about what was happening with the dispatchers and the 911 system.
“In the end, I take responsibility for our failures there,” Mitchell said. “I learned that you trust but verify when you get information about how things are occurring in an organization.”
Reporters also brought up Oakland’s long history of police chiefs with short tenures, many of whom were fired or abruptly left in the face of criticism from the federal monitor or mayor. Mitchell said he is committed to Oakland, OPD, and public safety long-term.
“You have to have someone that you are going to give the opportunity to establish, to put their footprint on how to change the culture of the organization,” Mitchell said.
Noting that crime is currently trending down, Mitchell urged media organizations to understand the mayor’s public safety plans and “change the narrative.”
“If you’re seeing true crime reductions within the city, that’s something we need to talk about,” Mitchell said, while also acknowledging that Oakland “absolutely” can do better.
