Federal judge 'concerned' with how long it's taking to hire new Oakland police chief
OAKLAND, Calif. - A federal judge on Wednesday told Oakland city leaders, including the mayor and the chair of the police commission, that he's quite concerned with how long it's taking to hire a new police chief.
U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick was speaking at a regular hearing involving stakeholders behind the court-mandated federal oversight over the Oakland Police Department, now in its 21st year.
Orrick commended Interim Police Chief Darren Allison for holding things together, but he said that he didn't want to serve in this role – holding police accountable for achieving 50 reforms – forever.
"I'm looking forward to when this oversight ends," Orrick said.
Mayor Sheng Thao fired then-Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong in February 2023, after independent auditors claimed the chief violated department rules and mishandled two police misconduct cases.
Since then, there has been internal infighting among members of the Oakland Police Commission, a citizens' board tasked with selecting new candidates for the position, as well as external problems between the commission and the mayor herself.
In late December, the commission sent Thao a list of three possible police chief names, one of which was Armstrong's, a man who the mayor said she'd never hire again.
Another name was the former San Leandro police chief who was placed on leave for unknown reasons.
Thao rejected all three names on the list.
"There has to be excellence in the candidates recruited for the job," Orrick said.
In response, Oakland Police Commission Chair Marcia Peterson, who has declared a "media blackout" on any updates regarding the new chief, told the judge that she, along with commissioners Karely Ordaz and Regina Jackson meet every Wednesday to move the process along.
She said they are now talking with consultants, other police chiefs and "thought leaders in this space" to ask candidates better questions and how to pick a "progressive" and "brave" chief by March 1.
Peterson also told the judge that the list of candidates she received when taking over as chair in October 2023 was "not robust," and she provided the mayor with "the best three" names that she could provide at the time.
"We are working diligently," she said.
Orrick told Peterson he hoped she was because Oakland deserves the "best, most excellent" chief possible.
"So keep working at it," Orrick told Peterson.
Aside from talking about the police chief, the main purpose of the hearing was to decide if the Oakland Police Department has reformed enough to be free from federal oversight.
And while the department is close, the answer is no: There are still three reforms, out of 50, that are not in compliance.
The biggest "task" that is out of compliance is the racial disparity in how Black officers are treated and disciplined, compared to white officers.
A city report found that Black police officers are found "sustained" 60% of the time in Internal Affairs investigations – the highest rate of any race group – while white officers were sustained 26%.
A sustained finding is when an investigating agency determines the action of an officer violated the law or department policy.
As another aside, attorney Rockne Lucia, revealed at this hearing that Oakland police union's longtime president, Barry Donelan, stepped down this month, and the new president is Sgt. Huy Nguyen.
The next hearing is June 4, a date which Orrick noted should give the city time to finally hire a new chief.