The chief of the Oakland Police Department is stepping down.<\/p>\n
Floyd Mitchell, who was appointed by former Mayor Sheng Thao and began his post in May 2024, submitted his resignation letter to the city on Wednesday, according to a press release from the city of Oakland. His final day will be Dec. 5.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear why Mitchell resigned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeciding to resign was not an easy decision, nor was it made in haste,\u201d he wrote in his resignation letter, which The Oaklandside obtained. \u201cI am proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am confident that this department will continue to thrive and reach new heights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell, Mayor Barbara Lee, and City Administrator Jestin Johnson will work over the next few weeks to select an interim police chief, according to the city\u2019s press release.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been an honor to serve the Oakland community, and I am grateful for the support I\u2019ve received from the residents,\u201d Mitchell wrote in the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder his tenure, we have seen significant reductions in crime \u2014 a testament to his commitment to public safety and the hard work of our police officers,\u201d Lee wrote in the city\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to thank Chief Mitchell for his service to the city of Oakland and his unwavering support provided to the women and men of the Oakland Police Department,\u201d Johnson wrote.<\/p>\n
Mitchell came to Oakland from Lubbock, Texas, where he was the city\u2019s first Black police chief, leading the department from 2019 to 2023. Before that, he ran the police department of Temple, Texas, for four years. The majority of his career as a police officer was spent in Kansas City, where he worked for 25 years. Mitchell is an Air Force veteran.<\/p>\n
When he left Lubbock, the city\u2019s police department had been facing criticism for the poor performance of its 911 call center. A 2023 report found that over 30,000 911 calls, or 16% of the total, hadn\u2019t been answered<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Oakland, Mitchell\u2019s term coincided with a significant drop in crime. City officials, including Mitchell, credited<\/a> OPD for these numbers, although the city\u2019s rates follow a national trend in declining violence and property crimes. Mitchell also successfully sought approval of changes<\/a> to OPD\u2019s vehicle pursuit policy to allow officers more leeway when chasing suspects.<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s employment contract <\/a>with Oakland was for a term of three years, with an annual salary of $365,000.<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s impending departure means that the Oakland Police Commission will be tasked with recruiting new candidates for chief. The commission will interview candidates and send a shortlist of three to the mayor for final approval, probably sometime next year.<\/p>\n Ricardo Garcia-Acosta, chair of the Police Commission, told The Oaklandside that the commission is grateful for Mitchell\u2019s leadership \u2014 but that the timing of Mitchell\u2019s resignation isn\u2019t ideal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank the chief for everything he\u2019s done during his time in Oakland, and yet, we\u2019re incredibly disappointed because we felt like we were going in the right direction, and now we\u2019re starting all over,\u201d Garcia-Acosta said.<\/p>\n The commission, he added, is \u201clooking forward to working with city leadership to swiftly start the process of searching for a new chief.\u201d<\/p>\n OPD\u2019s top job is notoriously difficult and stressful, and few who take it last very long. Mitchell was Oakland\u2019s ninth police chief or interim chief in the past 10 years<\/a>. Five of his predecessors were either fired or forced to resign due to scandals or conflicts with the mayor and police commission.<\/p>\n