Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao will not participate in police chief forum
Oakland Police Commission unveils new list of police chief candidates
The Oakland Police Commission has released a new list of finalists for the job of police chief. It's been more than a year since Mayor Thao fired former police chief LeRonne Armstrong. Since then, the mayor and the city's police commission, which is tasked with selecting the candidates have been locked in a back and forth.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao will not participate in Thursday's police commission community forum to discuss the new list of police chief candidates.
In a letter addressed to Oakland Police Commission Chair Marsha Peterson on Wednesday, Thao declined the invitation, citing concerns that such a public setting could jeopardize finding the best candidates.
"A forum identifying candidates places those individuals at unnecessary risk with their current employers. It may also force Oakland to enter into a premature bidding war with an individual's current employer if they feel strongly about retaining them," the mayor wrote in the letter.
Thao emphasized that she is deeply committed to finding Oakland a new top cop, a position that has remained vacant for a year.
She said that since December, she has met with several law enforcement leaders nationwide who have shown interest in the role. However, when confronted with the possibility of a public forum, many potential candidates declined or withdrew their applications.
The mayor maintains her stance that conducting a public forum is "detrimental" to the search.
While the city does not mandate a public forum for selecting a new police chief, the commission has stressed the importance of community involvement in the process, though they are not taking public comment.
On Tuesday, the police commission unveiled its latest pool of police chief prospects, which includes former San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen, Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Lisa Davis, former Lubbock Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, and New York City Assistant Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Louis Molina.