Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announces Floyd Mitchell as new police chief
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- After over a year without a named police chief, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced Friday that she has tapped former Lubbock, Texas Chief Floyd Mitchell for the position.
Mayor Thao says that Mitchell has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement and is expected to begin leading OPD between late April and early May. His exact start date has not been announced.
ABC7 News spoke with the mayor's office this Friday morning. They say that the new chief is still not in the Bay Area. He will be next week and the city will formally introduce Chief Floyd Mitchell.
"Floyd Mitchell is a strong leader and smart crime fighter who delivers results," Mayor Thao said in part in a press release. "His commitment to proven crime reduction strategies including proactive policing and strong officer-community engagement vaulted him to the top of the list."
In the release, Mitchell described his goals in leading the department.
"As servant leaders and guardians of our city, I and the members of the Oakland Police Department have a unique opportunity to create lasting relationships and make significant impacts in the communities we serve," he said in part. "Our duty is to promote safety, prevent crime, and pursue justice for all we serve by collaborating and communicating with our community."
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Mitchell was part of a new batch of candidates for the job after Mayor Thao rejected the first pool of candidates suggested by the Oakland Police Commission.
Mayor Thao says Chief Mitchell's strategy of strong officer-community engagement vaulted him to the top of the list.
In Temple within his first year, overall crime decreased by 12% and stayed down for the four years he was there.
In Lubbock Texas in 2019, the year he was appointed, there were 20,150 incidents. That dropped to just over 18,000 in 2021.
But Mitchell left Lubbock possibly because of concerns over abandoned 911 calls.
"He didn't make any excuses. But instead, he talked about what he learned from that experience," said Thao. She says that's that type of experience that will help Mitchell forge a new path for the department.
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"It is a challenge. I get that. I'm pretty sure Chief Mitchell understands that coming in this place. But we will work on those challenges," says Sergeant Huy Nguyen, President of the Oakland Police Officer's Association.
Nguyen says he hasn't met Chief Mitchell yet, but says the new chief already has the full support of the department.
Robert Harris, part of the executive committee of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP, says this is a welcomed announcement -- especially since Oakland hasn't had a police chief for more than a year.
"We are optimistic that he can do the job. Again, Oakland has been without a police chief for more than a year and having a police chief is very important -- not only to the city, but also, especially, for the relationships in the community. Community policing is essential for excellent policing," Harris said.
But others in the community are raising concerns.
Mikaela Galvis Venegas is with the community group CURYJ, or Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice. The organization works on violence prevention as an alternative to youth incarceration. She believes the new chief will just be a band-aid to some of the larger issues within OPD.
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"There is already a pre-existing culture in the police department. The police chief has the administrative power but they can't shift the entire culture," said Venegas.
Carl Chan is a leader in the city's Asian population. His concerns center around how an outsider like Chief Mitchell, will come to understand the needs of Oakland's diverse communities. And in a city facing a historic deficit.
"In addition, he has to navigate through the politics. And it's going to be a very interesting one," said Chan.
But business owner Nenna Joiner, who owns the bar Feelmore downtown, says the new chief will provide leadership for a city that needs direction.
"When I see police officers out on the street, I want them to walk right. I want them to walk like there is peace in the community. That's important. And think the leadership can do that," said Joiner.
It has now been more than a year since Mayor Thao fired LeRonne Armstrong from his job. Armstrong is suing the city for wrongful termination.
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