Announcements | Statements | Press Releases

2025–2026 Police Chief Search: A Thank You to Our City Partners, Stakeholders, and Community

The Commission was honored to lead this important process on behalf of the residents of Oakland. Throughout the recruitment, the Commission remained committed to transparency, accessibility, and meaningful community engagement to help ensure the community's priorities informed the selection process.

Community Engagement

Community engagement was central to this effort. The Commission hosted six community forums throughout Oakland and made available a public survey to gather feedback from residents, stakeholders, and community members.

The Commission extends its sincere gratitude to everyone who attended a forum, completed the survey, shared information with their networks, or otherwise helped encourage public participation. Your feedback helped shape the Commission's understanding of the qualities, priorities, and leadership characteristics Oaklanders seek in their next Chief of Police.

The Commission encourages those interested in learning more about the process to visit the Police Chief Search webpage, which includes community survey results, community forum summaries, and additional information regarding the recruitment process. Visit: Chief Search Summary

Acknowledgements

The Oakland Police Commission extends its sincere appreciation to the many City departments, community organizations, and individuals who contributed to the success of this community-driven process.

Mayor's Office

Mayor Barbara Lee
LaNiece Jones, Director of Community Engagement
Miya Saika Chen, Chief of Staff
Damita Davis-Howard, Special Assistant to the Mayor
Preston Kilgore, Special Assistant to the Mayor

City Administrator's Office

Jestin Johnson, Former City Administrator
Michelle Phillips, Assistant City Administrator

City Support Teams

(Office of the City Administrator, Human Resources, Communications, Website Services, KTOP, and Translation Services, Boards & Commission Members)

Amber Lytle
Mario Goldsby
Karen Boyd
Carina Lieu
Sean Maher
Michael Enslow
May Tam, Translation
Pablo Swiadon
Meadow Holmes
Benjamin Mulholland
Jason Lia
Josh Kahn
Sandra Bethune

Special recognition is extended to Mario Goldsby, who attended all six community forums and served as the Commission's dedicated note-taker throughout the engagement process.

Oakland City Council

The Commission thanks all members of the Oakland City Council for helping share information about the community forums and survey opportunities with Oakland residents.

Special appreciation is extended to:

Councilmember Charlene Wang and Chief of Staff Michael Wimsatt
Councilmember Janani Ramachandran and Chief of Staff Iris Merriouns
Councilmember Carroll Fife and Debra Israel
Councilmember Ken Houston

City Facility Partners

81st Avenue Library Branch (Isaiah Hurtado)
César Chávez Library Branch (Xochitl Gavidia)
DeFremery Park Recreation Center (Greg McClain)

Community Partners

Imani Community Church
East Bay Church of Religious Science
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce

Individual Contributors

Antonio Lawson, Executive Director, Community Police Review Agency
Cynthia Trammel, Community Police Review Agency
Zurvohn Maloof, Inspector General
Monica Pelayo-Lock, Public Information Officer, Office of the Inspector General

The Commission also thanks the many residents, community leaders, neighborhood organizations, advocacy groups, faith leaders, and stakeholders who participated in the process and shared their perspectives.

Your involvement helped ensure that Oakland's next Chief of Police search reflected the voices and priorities of the community we serve.

Thank you for contributing to this important community-driven process.

Sincerely,

Mykah Montgomery

Chief of Staff, Oakland Police Commission on behalf of the Police Chief Search Ad Hoc Committee

Commissioner Shane Williams, Committee Chair
Chair Ricardo Garcia-Acosta
Commissioner Angela Jackson-Castain

OPC Statement: Chief Search Update 12.5.2025

OPC Statement: OPD Pursuit Policy Updates

OPD Pursuit Policy Updates flyer

Police Commission Statement

Post-Vote Update on OPD Vehicle Pursuit Policy and Next Steps

Dear Oakland Community,

On September 25, 2025, the Oakland Police Commission unanimously voted to approve changes to the Oakland Police Department’s Vehicle Pursuit Policy, as recommended and supported by Chief Mitchell. This decision was the result of a process that carefully weighed community input, public safety concerns, and operational realities.

We want to personally thank everyone who showed up, spoke out, and contributed to this conversation — especially the young members of the Oakland community, who shared an impressive range of thoughtful and nuanced perspectives.

While this vote marks an important milestone, it is not the end of the work — in many ways, it’s just the beginning. The policy update is one piece of a much broader strategy to strengthen safety, accountability, and trust in our city.

Now, our focus turns to collaboration. We know that real progress will require us to work together — across agencies, across communities, and across perspectives.

That’s why we have extended an invitation to Oakland’s leadership stakeholders — including the Department of Violence Prevention, the Mayor’s Office, the City Administrator, City Council, and the Public Safety Committee — to join us in an ongoing, citywide conversation about public safety.

Some of the areas where we’re eager to partner and explore solutions — and where we’ve heard strong interest from the community — include:

Investing in technology like GPS tracking systems and dash cameras in all police vehicles to strengthen accountability, transparency, and officer safety.
Improving interagency coordination with the California Highway Patrol and other partners to align operations and communication.
Strengthening public outreach and messaging, particularly for vulnerable populations, and exploring real-time notification systems to keep residents informed.
Assessing impacts on transportation and infrastructure to ensure city planning supports community safety.

Chief Mitchell shared that the new Vehicle Pursuit Policy is targeted to go into effect on January 1, 2026. This timeline gives OPD an opportunity to train all personnel and ensures accurate year-over-year data once implementation begins.

We will follow his lead as the implementation date approaches.

There is no single solution to Oakland’s public safety challenges — but there is a shared responsibility.

This policy change is an important step forward, and we look forward to continuing this work together with all of you.

Thank you for your partnership, your passion, and your belief in what’s possible for our city.

With appreciation,

Chair Ricardo Garcia-Acosta

On behalf of the Oakland Police Commission

Click Links to Access Commission Updates

Pursuit Policy Resources

Pursuit Policy Documents - including the actual policy, DGO J-4, and Police Commission recommendations (Police Pursuits Policy Review)
Pursuit Study Roanoke VA. NYU - Presented by Professor Geoffrey Alpert (8/28/24)
PERF report on Vehicle Pursuits - A Guide for Law Enforcement Executives on Managing the Associated Risks (004) (7/31/2024)
The Oakland Police Department and Pursuit Driving (Department General Order J-04) (7/31/2024)
OPD Pursuit Policy: Comparisons to Similar Jurisdictions in California and Nationwide (7/31/2024)

OPC Statement: Adequate Funding

Statement from the Chair of the Police Commission RE: Adequate Funding for Effective, Legally Mandated Civilian Police Oversight

Statement from the Chair of the Police Commission

In response to concerns shared during the January 23, 2025, Regular Police Commission meeting regarding the proposed budget cuts to the Oakland Police Commission (OPC), Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Community Police Review Agency (CPRA).