Update: Oakland Police Commission Chair blasts Mayor Sheng Thao for finger pointing over chief replacement
OAKLAND -- The Chair of the Oakland Police Commission on Tuesday evening issued a statement criticizing Mayor Sheng Thao after she pointed the finger at the commission over delays in the city appointing a new police chief during an interview on KPIX.
Amid a spike in violent crime, Thao told KPIX anchor Ryan Yamamoto during the interview she would declare a state of emergency if the city's Police Commission does not name a permanent replacement for former police chief LeRonne Armstrong, who she fired seven months ago.
Despite her claim over the weekend that calling a state of emergency would amount to "political theater," Thao told KPIX in an interview Tuesday that she would declare a state of emergency in Oakland if the commission doesn't select a new police chief by the end of the year.
Thao said while such declarations are normally reserved for disasters in order to free up additional funding for relief efforts, she would issue the declaration to move along the hiring process she says the commission is holding up.
"In this case, what makes sense and what I have always talked about is that I would call a state of emergency if we cannot get the police commission to get its act together so that they can forward to me the top names for a new police chief," said Thao.
Dr. Tyfahra Milele, the Chair of the Oakland Police Commission issued a statement in response shortly after 5 p.m., saying the members of the commission "are also deeply disappointed in the mayor's purposeful deflection of the NAACP and community's concerns by casting blame on the Commission for the lack of a police chief, which was brought about by the mayor herself."
Milele's statement accused Thao of resorting to political theater herself with her threat of declaring a state of emergency over delays in the process of selecting a new police chief.
"The Commission has been publicly updating the community about the hiring timeline, and the timeline is posted on the Commission's website. The timeline clearly states that the Commission anticipates sending a list of finalists to the mayor next month. We are perplexed by the mayor's comments to the press as we also updated the mayor and her office on the hiring timeline last week and her office confirmed receipt," the statement said.
"We urge the mayor not to scapegoat the Commission for the city's lack of response on public safety concerns. We urge the mayor to immediately replace the Commissioner she removed in June, as required under City Charter. And we urge the mayor to not threaten to usurp the Commission's legal authority and responsibility of the hiring process, like she did with the dismissal of the former police chief before the Commission deliberated," the statement said in closing.
The full statement is available online.
It was just last month that the commission began seeking public input in the search for Armstrong's successor. The commission, which has seen recent infighting and the dismissal of one commissioner, is responsible for vetting candidates for chief and for submitting a final name to the city council and mayor for approval.
"With the new appointees that I have appointed to the commission, the new commissioners, I am hopeful that we can actually get work done and that they can do their job, which is to recommend to me the top three candidates, and so that I can actually interview those top three and get Oakland a police chief."
In February, Thao fired Armstrong following a report detailing the chief's actions in connection with a hit-and-run collision involving a police sergeant and the alleged obstruction of the investigation. Armstrong was suspended on January 19 in connection with the report that concluded he had signed off on the findings without reviewing them or even fully discussing the incident.
Armstrong has repeatedly disputed the report, blaming the federal monitor overseeing police reform for suspension and eventual firing.
On Monday, Oakland announced a $2.5 million investment to improve the city's 911 system. As part of the investment, the city plans to increase recruitment and staffing, along with modernizing computer systems.
The upgrades come following a July power outage that knocked out 911 service and a recent report from the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury that found the dispatch center failed to answer about half of the calls it received within 15 seconds. The California Office of Emergency Services mandates 90% of calls should be answered by a live person within 15 seconds and 95% within 20 seconds.