Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee appoints interim chief James Beere as permanent police chief

By Tim Fang

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced Thursday that interim police chief James Beere has been appointed to permanently lead the department.

“Our City has experienced too much turnover in police leadership over the years, and Oakland deserves stability. James Beere embraces meaningful civilian oversight and constitutional policing, values collaboration with our neighborhoods, businesses, and faith leaders, and is fully prepared to lead on day one,” Lee said in a statement.

At a news conference Thursday morning, the mayor added, “Throughout this process, I was looking for someone who understands policing and who understands Oakland. Someone who sees the position, not only as simply a job, but as a commitment to our city. And so I am pleased, and I am confident that interim chief James Beere demonstrated that commitment.”

A 29-year veteran of the department, Beere was appointed the interim chief following the departure of Floyd Mitchell late last year. Mitchell has since been appointed to lead the police department in the city of Fremont.

“It’s a bright day. We’re moving forward in the City of Oakland and I can tell you that the team that Mayor Lee has put together, she’s broken down silos, she’s opened up lines of communication and through the hard work of the women and men of the police department, we’re seeing historic lows,” Beere said. “Just like the mayor said, we have a lot of work to do, and I’m ready for that.” 

“For me, I can’t believe I’ve been giving this honor to serving this great city. This city is truly the diamond of the Bay Area and we need to make this diamond shine and show everyone else in the world what Oakland really is: the greatest community,” the chief added.

The Oakland Police Officers Association (OPOA) voiced support for Beere’s appointment to lead the department. OPOA president Huy Nguyen described Beere as “an excellent choice.”

“At a time when Oakland desperately needs stability, more police officers, increased response times and a renewed focus on reducing violent crime to serve our community and neighborhoods. Chief Beere brings the experience, discipline, and steady leadership necessary to move the Oakland Police Department forward,” Nguyen said.

Six people, including Beere, have led the Oakland Police Department since the start of the decade.

Anne Kirkpatrick, the city’s first female chief, was fired in 2020 by the Oakland Police Commission. Kirkpatrick sued the city, and a jury found she was wrongfully fired in retaliation. She has since been named chief of police in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Following Kirkpatrick’s firing, Darren Allison and Susan Manheimer served as interim police chiefs.

In 2021, former mayor Libby Schaaf appointed LeRonne Armstrong as chief. A West Oakland native and a 20-year veteran of the department, Armstrong was fired by Schaff’s successor, Mayor Sheng Thao, in 2023 and Allison was again named acting chief.

Following a search that stretched for over a year, Thao appointed Mitchell, who had previously led the police department in Lubbock, Texas. After less than two years on the job, Mitchell resigned and Beere was named interim chief.

Beere’s appointment also comes as the Oakland Police Department seeks to emerge from federal monitoring enacted in 2003 in the wake of “The Riders” police scandal, the longest such monitoring of a police department in U.S. history. A status report earlier this year found the department was in compliance on all 51 reforms forced upon it by a lawsuit settlement brought on by civil rights attorney John Burris.