New Oakland police chief sworn in, promising to make city safe
Anne Kirkpatrick was sworn in as Oakland police chief Monday, casting herself as a truth-teller to push the city department toward progress after years of periodic turbulence and a procession of leaders who tried, and failed, to do just that. In a short speech delivered inside the council chambers of City Hall, she promised to reduce crime — her “truth north” goal — and mend fractured relationships with the community. Toward the beginning of her career, Kirkpatrick moved to Washington, earning a law degree from Seattle University and climbing the ranks to be police chief of three departments and second-in-command of the King County Sheriff’s Office. Last year, she went to Chicago to lead the Police Department’s Bureau of Professional Standards as the city worked on reforms after the shooting of Laquan McDonald, a black teen killed by a white officer. Schaaf said Monday that during an interview, she was impressed with Kirkpatrick’s take on the “broken windows” philosophy of policing — she said that law enforcement should address quality-of-life issues without overreaching into disadvantaged communities — and with her response to how she wanted to be known as a chief. In Oakland, Kirkpatrick finds a department beset with troubles and one still licking wounds made by a series of recent scandals, the biggest of which involved allegations that a group of officers had sexual relations with the teenage daughter of a police dispatcher. Schaaf, calling the department a “frat house” with a “toxic, macho culture,” in June appointed a civilian, City Administrator Sabrina Landreth, to run the agency while a nationwide search was conducted for a permanent replacement. The heads of the Piedmont, Berkeley, Emeryville and San Leandro police departments as well as the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office all came to the ceremony, as did Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. “When you walk into the police department, how you get treated at the counter makes a big difference,” she said, sharply contrasting the idea to her experience getting her California driver’s license at a Department of Motor Vehicles branch last week.