Oakland Mayor Quan Names Assistant Chief Jordan Acting Police Chief
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Oakland Mayor Jean Quan announced Thursday that Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan will serve as acting police chief for the city following the surprise resignation of Chief Anthony Batts earlier this week.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
Jordan was sworn in at about 1:40 p.m. Thursday at the conclusion of a news conference at City Hall.
Quan said that Jordan, who has been with the department for 23 years, is engaged with the community and well-known to Oakland residents.
"It's that kind of knowledge of this community, that kind of love for this community, that's going to make him an effective chief," Quan said.
Jordan said that when he first came to the city about a quarter-century ago, "I fell in love with Oakland."
"This was an opportunity for me to give back some to the city of Oakland," he said.
Jordan served as a patrol officer for 10 years and a field supervisor for 13 years, and has served a total of seven years with the department's SWAT team.
"I bring to you a very well-rounded, balanced career," he said.
Batts, who was appointed chief by then-Mayor Ron Dellums in August 2009, announced his resignation in a letter on Tuesday, saying that as chief he had limited control but full accountability for Oakland's high crime rates.
Jordan has already served as acting police chief in Oakland; he was named to the post in February 2009 after former Chief Wayne Tucker decided to retire, saying he said he had lost faith in the City Council's ability to fully fund the Police Department and implement reforms.
Since Batts took over, Jordan has served as assistant chief.
Batts was hired after a nationwide search, and came to Oakland from Long Beach, where he had served as police chief for seven years.
Batts had a record of reducing violent crime in Long Beach, and it was hoped he could do the same for Oakland.
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