FREMONT — Former Oakland police chief Floyd Mitchell will soon head Fremont’s police force, the city confirmed Thursday morning.
“Mr. Mitchell brings extensive experience and expertise in law enforcement to this role,” Fremont spokeswoman Geneva Bosques said in a statement Thursday morning. “We look forward to sharing more information in a formal press release, following the completion of the hiring process.”
The decision by Fremont city leaders ends the monthslong search for a new police chief, following the June 2025 retirement of Sean Washington, who had been with the agency for more than 25 years.
Mitchell arrives in the city just months after leading the Oakland Police Department in a remarkably short — and somewhat uneventful — tenure. His decision to leave the agency — after just a year and a half on the job — added to a staggering list of police chiefs who served short stints at the Oakland Police Department, which has operated under federal court oversight for more than 20 years.
In that time, Mitchell oversaw a department that struggled with staffing amid city budget woes and longstanding problems recruiting and retaining talent. The force had 636 officers when Mitchell announced his departure from the city in early October, 80 fewer than when he arrived.
Still, crime in Oakland declined significantly during his tenure, following a nationwide trend of dropping crime rates following a spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. Response times for 911 calls also improved dramatically, with officers doubling the speed with which they answered calls for service.
In one of Mitchell’s last acts on the job, the chief won approval from the Oakland Police Commission for his department’s officers to initial pursuits exceeding 50 mph without first getting their supervisor’s approval. The move marked a significant victory for the chief, given longstanding resistance by OPD’s critics to changing the pursuit policy.
Washington announced his retirement from the Fremont force last June, but has remained as interim chief, earning about $174 an hour, with a limit of 960 hours per year as a retired annuitant, according to the city. At the same time, he has collected a monthly pension of $22,669, according to CalPERS.