‘Champion,’ not warrior, sought for OPD
Oakland is looking for more than just a new chief to head its troubled Police Department — city leaders want a “champion.”
“A reformminded champion. Somebody who is actually going to overhaul the Police Department,” Police Commission Chair Regina Jackson said.
And according to the job posting, not necessarily a “champion” who fights crime in the traditional manner. Instead, the new chief will be expected to “fully and finally effect longsought transformational change of policing in Oakland.”
That person will also be expected to support taking money from areas of the department that “are inconsistent with its proper role” and reinvesting it in “modern, communitydriven programs and initiatives that better support the full spectrum of needs of our residents,” the posting states.
“Moreover, the chief will demonstrate a deep and earnest commitment to transforming OPD’s culture to embrace guardianship, rather than a warrior mindset,” it continues.
Oakland Police Officers Association President Barry Donelan called the chief ’s job description “extraordinary.”
“How does a new chief moti
vate officers to fight crime if that is your ethos?” Donelan said of the call for defunding parts of the department and what he sees as a deemphasis on fighting street crime.
“It puts them in a very difficult position,” Donelan said. “I just can’t see someone in law enforcement picking up their family and moving to Oakland if that’s the job description.”
Jackson said that while the chief ’s job description repeatedly emphasizes reform, fighting crime remains a priority — especially violent and serious crime. She did, however, say the commission is looking at a new way to approach problems within the department, especially the use of deadly force.
“There has to be a paradigm shift,” Jackson said.
Oakland has gone through 11 chiefs in the past 21 years; four of them were in and out within a span of nine days in 2016.
Most recently Chief Anne Kirkpatrick was fired without cause in February. Kirkpatrick has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that she was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on improprieties within the Police Commission.
This is the first time that the civilian Police Commission will be involved in the chief ’s selection. After reviewing and interviewing candidates, the commission will forward four names to Mayor Libby Schaaf. The mayor will either select the new chief or ask the commission for another four names.
Given the lack of a national search and the mere twoweek window for applying (Aug. 28 through Sept. 11), it appears the commission expects to find its new champion quickly.
And maybe close to home.
Insiders are already putting their money on two inhouse candidates: Deputy Chief LeRonne Armstrong and Interim Deputy Chief Drennon Lindsey, who also happen to be man and wife.
Jackson said she has received over 30 applications for the job, from both inside and outside of the department.
“We feel there is one champion out there, maybe more,” she said.
“The whole process is going to be interesting,” said Oakland City Councilman Larry Reid, who has seen many a chief come and go. “I’m just going to sit back and watch it all happen.”
Twin trouble: For Gary Russ and his neighbors, the city’s decision to close off traffic to the Twin Peaks lookout has created a triple headache.
“More crowds, more noise and more crime. Every fogfree night, it’s lots of booze and drugfueled noisy night partying,” said Russ, who lives just down the slope from the vista point. “The other night we had two drunken women climb up on a neighbor’s roof to look at the view.”
And then there are the car breakins.
“You can see the glass all along the street,” Russ said.
For years, the parking lot at the Twin Peaks observation area, with its magnificent views of the city, has been a big draw for locals, tourists and young partiers.
On March 28 the city shut down the street leading up to the area as part of the citywide COVID19 related closings. The goal was to reduce the crowds and promote social distancing.
The downside is that tourists and partiers who previously drove to the top of the hill now park along the streets below the lookout and hike up or just party around their cars.
“There is no social distancing going on up there or down here,” Russ said. “So, the whole premise for closing it is false.”
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman recently met with Russ and his neighbors and got an earful.
“I would be upset, too,” said Mandelman, who added he wasn’t sure what can be done, though he pledged to try to find a solution.
It turns out, however, that politically vocal advocates for the city’s’ popular closedstreets program support the Twin Peaks road closure.
“Some people have become quite fond of that closedoff area as a type of park,” Mandelman said. “So there are going to be some tensions between the differing interests.”
Meanwhile, the partying continues and so do the neighbors’ frustrations.
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGOTV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 4157778815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier