Oakland launches police chief search with community forums, as interim leadership and oversight changes take hold

Community input phase opens amid leadership transition

Oakland has begun a new search for a permanent police chief, opening the process with a series of public community forums designed to gather resident priorities before finalists are selected. The effort follows the resignation of Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, who announced in October 2025 that he would leave the post effective December 5, 2025, ending a tenure that began in 2024.

Assistant Chief James Beere assumed the role of interim chief on December 6, 2025. City leadership has said the interim appointment is intended to provide operational continuity while a separate civilian-led process identifies candidates for the permanent position.

How the selection process is structured

Oakland’s police chief hiring process is governed by voter-approved charter measures that give the Oakland Police Commission a central role. Under the current framework, the Police Commission leads recruitment and screening, then forwards a list of at least three finalists to the mayor for appointment. The mayor may appoint a candidate from the list or reject the slate and request a new list.

In parallel with the interim chief appointment, the city created an interim Constitutional Policing Administrator role within the city administration to focus on internal accountability systems, including support for Internal Affairs investigations, policy development, internal audits, and resource allocation. The position is designed to coordinate with police command staff while reporting through the city’s administrative structure.

Forum schedule and what residents can weigh in on

The first community forum in the current search cycle was scheduled for March 11, 2026. Additional meetings have been listed for mid-March, including a special community meeting and chief-search forum on March 12, 2026, and another community forum on March 15, 2026 at Imani Church, 3300 MacArthur Boulevard.

While forums typically include public comment, they also function as a fact-finding stage for commissioners—an opportunity to hear what residents want in the next chief and what performance indicators they believe should define success.

• Public safety priorities, including violent crime reduction strategies and response times
• Accountability systems and transparency, including complaint handling and internal investigations
• Staffing and deployment challenges, including recruitment, retention, and overtime reliance
• Community engagement expectations and how OPD leadership measures trust and effectiveness

Context: continuity, oversight, and operational pressure

Oakland’s search proceeds during a period of continued scrutiny of policing outcomes and governance. The city remains under a long-running federal oversight structure tied to past misconduct reforms, and city officials have stated that leadership decisions are being made with that compliance environment in mind.

At the same time, operational pressures—such as staffing levels, training pipelines, and the cost and management of overtime—remain central management issues for any incoming chief. The permanent hire will inherit not only crime-prevention expectations, but also the administrative requirements of accountability and reform implementation.

The police chief selection process now moves through recruitment, screening, and finalist selection after the community-input phase, before a mayoral appointment is made.

For residents, the early forums represent the most direct opportunity to shape the criteria used to evaluate candidates—before a smaller group of finalists advances to interviews and final consideration.