Oakland Police Commission restarts search for chief after Mayor Sheng Thao rejects list
OAKLAND – The Oakland Police Commission has restarted its process in finding a new chief, announcing a timeline Friday after Mayor Sheng Thao rejected a list of candidates provided by the commission.
In its statement, the commission said it agreed to an open recruitment period during the month of January and an evaluation period in February. The commission plans to send the final list of names to Thao on March 1, 2024, which would be more than a year after the mayor fired chief LeRonne Armstrong.
"We are committed to finding the best candidate for Oakland," commission chair Marsha Carpenter Peterson said.
— Oakland Police Commission (@OakPoliceComm) December 29, 2023
On Wednesday, Thao rejected the commission's list of three candidates, which were sent to the mayor earlier this month. Neither the mayor's office nor the commission released the names.
In a statement to CBS News Bay Area, Zhao's spokesperson Francis Zamora said, "She would like to review more candidates in order to make a well informed decision on the best police chief for Oakland."
Under the City Charter, the Police Commission, with the help of the City Administrator is charged with making the job announcement and preparing a list of at least three candidates, which are sent to the Mayor along with background materials. The Mayor has the option of appointing a name from the list or rejecting the list entirely.
The commission also said Friday that it plans to observe a media blackout during the process.
Armstrong was fired back in February after an independent report cited a failure of leadership in his handling of two misconduct cases involving the same officer.
The former chief appealed and claimed "vindication" following a report from a retired judge that concluded Armstrong's dismissal should be reversed.
Thao has long stood by her decision to fire Armstrong, despite the criticism that has been leveled at her by the local chapter of the NAACP and other community groups over the decision.