Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell is stepping down 18 months after being appointed to the role, according to a city announcement.
Mitchell said his last day will be Dec. 5 and gave no reason for his departure.
“Deciding to resign was not an easy decision, nor was it made in haste,” he told department staff in an internal email obtained by The Epoch Times. “Even as I pen this email to each of you, I am filled with a complex mix of emotions—gratitude, pride, and, above all, a deep appreciation for the work you all do.”
He thanked department staff for their trust, support, memories, and friendships, saying, “I will continue to pray for your safety and future success.”
Mitchell will work with the mayor and city administrator over the next few weeks to identify an interim chief to lead the Oakland Police Department, according to an Oct. 8 press release from the city.
“Under his tenure, we have seen significant reductions in crime—a testament to his commitment to public safety and the hard work of our police officers,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said.
According to data from the department, total crime rates have fluctuated from year to year since 2008, the earliest available data, but the overall trend was a steady increase until 2024.
In 2024, overall crime reports declined by 33 percent, with car theft seeing the largest drop. Since the beginning of 2025, the department has continued to report a decrease in overall crime.
Some residents say the data does not show the entire picture.
“Sadly, crime is not down in Oakland. Many people simply stop reporting when they’re victimized by criminals, vandals, and thieves,” Jonathan Fleming, CEO of Oakland-based property management company Jonathan Fleming & Associates, told The Epoch Times via email.
“When we check on vacant rentals, we often find squatters or dangerous individuals inside—sometimes trying to attack us,” Fleming added.
High Turnover
Mitchell was tapped to serve as Oakland’s police chief in May 2024, over a year after former Mayor Sheng Thao fired the previous police chief.
The Oakland Police Department has had 11 police chiefs—interim and permanent—come and go in a span of 15 years. One interim chief, Darren Allison, served twice, and in 2016 the department was temporarily placed under civilian control.
According to a 2021 survey by the Police Executive Research Forum, the average tenure of a police chief is around 5.6 years in West Coast states.
Oakland, however, has struggled to keep a permanent police chief past the initial three-year contract.
Locals attribute the city’s high turnover to an “anti-police mentality” and heavy bureaucracy that has persisted since the early 2000s.
“Anti-police activists dominate policy and use intimidation to silence common-sense community voices that simply want safe neighborhoods,” Chris Moore, public safety advocate and housing provider, told The Epoch Times via email. “Officers are disrespected by nearly every layer of city leadership.”
In 2024, faced with a budget deficit, the previous mayor and city council cut funding for police academies and vacant positions, causing a year-long hiring freeze. That funding has since been restored under the current mayor.
Moore noted that the Oakland police chief must also answer to a federal monitor under the “Negotiated Settlement Agreement” (NSA). This layer of oversight was established in 2003 to mandate reforms at the department, as a result of a lawsuit centered on a group of officers accused of falsifying police reports, planting evidence, and using excessive force.
“Every single one of them [police chiefs] have fallen short of preparedness,” as police officers have to “fill out reams of paperwork” for every alleged misconduct, Seneca Scott, community activist and founder of Neighbors Together Oakland, told The Epoch Times. He added that he believes the NSA has “kept Oakland in purgatory.”
Rajni Mandal, an Oakland physician and mother of two, launched a petition urging the federal court to allow the city to exit the NSA and return policing reform and responsibility to the local community.
“We want both accountability and safety—and we believe Oakland must achieve these goals through its own institutions, chosen and shaped by its residents. Federal oversight has fulfilled its purpose and run its course,” read a letter attached to the petition.
Mandal has also been outspoken about the amount of oversight from the civilian-led police commission and the influence activists have on the Oakland Police Department’s equipment acquisition and operational effectiveness. In an online post, she wrote that activists hand out talking points to attendees at town hall meetings to “shape public narrative” about the police department.
The police commission, however, says on its website that it exists to “monitor police conduct, ensure accountability, and promote public trust,” adding that “there is no such thing as too much oversight.”
Locals say the majority of Oakland residents want safer neighborhoods and more police officers who can respond to reports of crime.
