Oakland Police Commission to search for new chief candidates after Mayor Thao rejects all finalists
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rejected all three police chief finalists on Wednesday and asked for a new list from the police commission, according to her office.
The mayor's office released a statement to ABC7 News that stated the mayor thanks the commission for their continued service and is looking forward to working with them to find the best possible candidate.
The mayor's office declined to release the names of the candidates on the list, saying, "In order to maintain the integrity of the hiring process we are not identifying the candidates."
It's a big setback for the city which has been without a permanent chief since February when Thao fired former police chief LeRonne Armstrong, citing an investigation that found he'd mishandled two misconduct cases.
An independent arbitrator cleared him of those accusations and he reapplied for his job in October.
It's unclear if Armstrong was on the list of final candidates nominated.
MORE: Oakland mayor says she won't rehire LeRonne Armstrong as OPD chief
But Armstrong's public relations team did release his statement in response to Mayor Thao's rejecting the current list of candidates Wednesday evening, writing:
"It is unfair that I am unable to continue to serve and protect the people of Oakland. As a native of Oakland, nothing gave me greater pleasure and pride than to work in my community and fight to improve it."
On Thursday, there's a new push to restart the hiring process.
On Thursday, the Oakland Police Commission agreed to begin searching for new candidates.
The Oakland Police Commission held a closed session meeting. Afterwards they announced to restart the hiring process with the following timeline:
Mayor Thao will make the ultimate decision on who to hire.
The Oakland Police Commission remains tight-lipped.
"The entire commission will continue to observe a media blackout to respect the confidentiality of applicants who may be presently employed," said Marsha Peterson, Police Commission Chair.
Stay with ABC7 News for the latest details on this developing story.
If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
