"He had the job for two years from 2021 to February of 2023. That's when then-Mayor Sheng Thao fired him, citing an investigation that found he'd mishandled two misconduct cases. An independent arbitrator cleared him of those accusations. Armstrong replaced interim Chief Susan Manheimer, who replaced Anne Kirkpatrick, Oakland's first female police chief in 2017. She was on the job for three years and was fired in 2020 for reporting alleged misconduct."
"Prior Chief Sean Whent resigned in 2016 after members of the department admitted to having sex with an underage prostitute. Following his resignation, Oakland went through three chiefs in nine days. Here is a total timeline of chiefs since 2009. Note that Darren Allison was interim chief twice. 2009-2011: Anthony Batts - Resigned 2011-2013: Howard Jordan - Resigned due to health reasons 2013-2013: Anthony Torbio *Interim Chief - Resigned after 2 days 2013-2016: Sean Whent - Forced to resign amid department sex scandal"
Oakland's police leadership has changed repeatedly over the last 15 years, with 11 different chiefs from 2009 to 2025. Several chiefs resigned or were fired for reasons including health, alleged misconduct, and handling of misconduct cases. High-profile incidents include a department sex scandal leading to Chief Sean Whent's 2016 resignation and the firing of Anne Kirkpatrick after she reported alleged misconduct. LeRonne Armstrong was fired in 2023 over mishandled cases but later cleared by an independent arbitrator. Multiple interim chiefs served short terms, contributing to prolonged instability culminating in Chief Floyd Mitchell’s 2025 resignation.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]