Fremont selects former Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell as next chief after nationwide search process
Leadership change follows Fremont’s extended interim period after Chief Sean Washington’s retirement
Floyd Mitchell, who led the Oakland Police Department until early December 2025, has been selected as Fremont’s next police chief, city officials confirmed Thursday. The selection comes after a nationwide executive search and is expected to be followed by a formal announcement once the hiring process is completed.
Mitchell’s move places a recent Oakland police chief at the helm of one of the Bay Area’s largest municipal police departments. Fremont operates under a council-manager system in which the city manager is responsible for hiring department heads, including the police chief.
What is known about the timing and the transition
Mitchell left Oakland on Dec. 5, 2025, after submitting a resignation notice in October that set a specific end date. In Oakland, the transition plan included naming an interim chief effective Dec. 6, 2025.
In Fremont, the appointment closes a leadership search that began after Police Chief Sean Washington announced in June 2025 that he would retire effective Aug. 9, 2025. Washington agreed to remain in an interim role beyond that date while the city conducted recruitment; city communications at the time estimated a search timeline of roughly three to four months, though the interim period ultimately extended longer.
Mitchell’s recent roles and experience
Mitchell was appointed Oakland’s police chief in 2024 following a lengthy leadership vacancy in the city. His tenure coincided with ongoing structural pressures on OPD, including federal court oversight of the department’s reform efforts and continuing staffing constraints.
Before Oakland, Mitchell served as police chief in Lubbock, Texas, from 2019 to 2023 and previously led the police department in Temple, Texas. Earlier in his career, he spent decades with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and is a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Context: contrasting governance and accountability structures
Fremont and Oakland differ in the oversight frameworks that shape police leadership. Oakland has a civilian Police Commission with a formal role in governance and accountability, and the department has been under federal court oversight for more than two decades. Fremont does not have the same federal oversight structure and manages police leadership through its city-manager model.
Fremont: City-manager appointment of the chief; extended interim period after Washington’s retirement.
Oakland: Civilian Police Commission governance; federal court oversight; interim leadership named immediately after Mitchell’s departure.
Next steps
City officials said additional details will be provided in a formal news release after the hiring process is finalized. Key remaining questions include Mitchell’s start date, the terms of his employment agreement, and the transition plan within the Fremont Police Department following Washington’s interim tenure.
Fremont officials said the selection followed a nationwide executive search and that more information will be released after the hiring process is completed.