Oakland Appoints Interim Police Chief Amid Search for Permanent Replacement
In a move aimed at providing stability to the Oakland Police Department, Mayor Barbara Lee has appointed Assistant Police Chief James Beere as the interim police chief. Beere, who has been with the department for nearly three decades, will lead the agency temporarily while the city searches for a permanent replacement.
Beere's appointment comes after former Police Chief Floyd Mitchell announced his resignation last month, citing a desire to move on from what he described as a "highly politicized" job. His last day is December 5. In a press conference on Friday, Lee expressed confidence in Beere's ability to lead the department and build trust with the community.
"We're going to focus on the people who are driving the violence in this city," Beere said. "We're going to continue to build trust in the community."
Beere's name had previously been mentioned as a potential candidate for the chief position before Mitchell was selected last year. The search process is expected to mirror that of last time, with the Oakland Police Commission establishing a shortlist of candidates and interviewing them.
The recruitment process, however, may take longer than Mitchell's search, which took over a year to complete and encountered numerous roadblocks, including a hostile relationship between former Mayor Sheng Thao and the police commission. Lee did not provide an estimate for how long this latest process might take.
As Beere assumes the role of interim chief, Michelle Phillips, an assistant city administrator, has been appointed to ensure that OPD follows constitutional policing practices. Phillips will be tasked with setting up better internal accountability for police officers.
Despite the challenges facing the department, crime statistics suggest a glimmer of hope – overall crime is down by 28%, while violent crime has decreased by 20% through mid-November compared to the same period last year. However, the somber tone at Friday's press event was set when longtime Laney College athletics director and coach John Beam was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound he suffered just a day prior.
Police had already arrested a suspect in Beam's killing, as well as two suspects in another shooting at Skyline High School earlier in the week. Beere paid tribute to Beam, saying that his thoughts were with the family of the victim and all those affected by gun violence.
In a move aimed at providing stability to the Oakland Police Department, Mayor Barbara Lee has appointed Assistant Police Chief James Beere as the interim police chief. Beere, who has been with the department for nearly three decades, will lead the agency temporarily while the city searches for a permanent replacement.
Beere's appointment comes after former Police Chief Floyd Mitchell announced his resignation last month, citing a desire to move on from what he described as a "highly politicized" job. His last day is December 5. In a press conference on Friday, Lee expressed confidence in Beere's ability to lead the department and build trust with the community.
"We're going to focus on the people who are driving the violence in this city," Beere said. "We're going to continue to build trust in the community."
Beere's name had previously been mentioned as a potential candidate for the chief position before Mitchell was selected last year. The search process is expected to mirror that of last time, with the Oakland Police Commission establishing a shortlist of candidates and interviewing them.
The recruitment process, however, may take longer than Mitchell's search, which took over a year to complete and encountered numerous roadblocks, including a hostile relationship between former Mayor Sheng Thao and the police commission. Lee did not provide an estimate for how long this latest process might take.
As Beere assumes the role of interim chief, Michelle Phillips, an assistant city administrator, has been appointed to ensure that OPD follows constitutional policing practices. Phillips will be tasked with setting up better internal accountability for police officers.
Despite the challenges facing the department, crime statistics suggest a glimmer of hope – overall crime is down by 28%, while violent crime has decreased by 20% through mid-November compared to the same period last year. However, the somber tone at Friday's press event was set when longtime Laney College athletics director and coach John Beam was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound he suffered just a day prior.
Police had already arrested a suspect in Beam's killing, as well as two suspects in another shooting at Skyline High School earlier in the week. Beere paid tribute to Beam, saying that his thoughts were with the family of the victim and all those affected by gun violence.
just heard about the new interim police chief in Oakland and I gotta say, fingers crossed for this guy 
Beere seems like a decent choice, especially since he's been around for ages 
Almost three decades is no joke! 
Let's hope he can bring some stability to OPD and work on building trust with the community 
It's all about #CommunityFirst 
And btw, crime stats are actually looking up 28% down in overall crime? That's a step in the right direction! 
But still got my eye on that recruitment process, let's not get too carried away with optimism 
Can't wait to see what Michelle Phillips brings to the table 
#OaklandPoliceDepartment #InterimChief #CommunityFirstMatters
I remember when cops just seemed like regular people trying to do their job... now it's like politics and drama everywhere 
. So glad they're looking for a permanent replacement, I just hope whoever gets the job can actually make a difference 
. Crime stats are kinda promising, but you know how that is - numbers don't tell the whole story 
... what's going on with all these shootings? It's just getting so senseless 
... I'm sure his family is still trying to process everything 
**
, but also super worried about how long it'll take 'cause last time took forever 
& it feels like no one's gettin' anywhere 
.
, especially after all the drama that went down last time 
? thats def a step in the right direction 
like, what if we made a flowchart of all the different departments & agencies involved in this whole process? or maybe even a mind map of all the stakeholders who'll be impacted by this new chief? 
. We need real reform, not just shuffling the same old deck chairs. And what's up with the Oakland Police Department anyway? It's like they're more concerned with covering their own backsides than actually keeping our community safe 
.
. It's sad that it took a tragic incident like John Beam's passing to bring attention to the issue at hand 
.