Oakland, CA —Mayor Libby Schaaf and City Administrator Sabrina Landreth were joined by a diverse, cross-section of Oakland community and civic leaders to announce their selection of Anne Kirkpatrick as the City of Oakland’s new Chief of Police.
One of the most tenured police chiefs in the country, incoming Chief Kirkpatrick is a 34-year veteran law enforcement leader who previously served the people of the state of Washington as Chief of Police for the cities of Spokane, Federal Way and Ellensburg over 15 years of her career. She also held the post of Chief Deputy (Undersheriff) in King County, Washington – the 14###sup/sup### most populous county in the nation. There she was responsible for the daily operations of the office which had an annual budget of $155M and 1,056 members.
Chief Kirkpatrick comes to the City of Oakland from Chicago, Illinois where she was tapped by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to lead the Chicago Police Department’s reform efforts. She will assume her duties as Oakland’s Police Chief on February 27, 2017.
“Through our extensive community engagement process that was the cornerstone of our chief search, we heard Oaklanders say clearly that they wanted a leader with integrity and the ability to lead culture change who will improve community-police relations, deliver fair and just policing, prevent violence and increase accountability,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “Anne Kirkpatrick is the reform-minded leader Oakland’s been looking for. She is a nationally respected Police Chief and master instructor in leadership development, procedural justice and implicit bias. She has demonstrated she is unafraid to hold officers accountable. Her deep experience a police chief and sincere excitement about serving the Oakland community will let her hit the ground running and continue Oakland’s momentum in both safety and reforms. In Chief Kirkpatrick Oakland is getting a leader prepared to bring greater accountability, justice and safety to our city.”
Chief Kirkpatrick’s selection was made following a 6-month, nationwide search process that began in July 2016 with the hiring of Ralph Andersen and Associates, an executive recruiting firm based in Rocklin, California.
The process included a robust community engagement effort that kicked off in August 2016 with a range of opportunities for Oaklanders to provide input and feedback on what they wanted to see in the city’s new police chief, what they thought the top community safety priorities should be for Oakland and the criteria for the mayor’s selection of community members to participate in the hiring selection process. Residents had the opportunity to engage via an online survey available in multiple languages, an online platform, a designated phone line and nearly a dozen community meetings, including two focused on youth participation and two held in Spanish and Cantonese, respectively.
More than 30 candidates applied and a pool was selected for panel interviews.
“Anne Kirkpatrick brings exceptional experience and stable leadership to the Oakland Police Department,” said City Administrator Sabrina Landreth. “Over her 34-year career in law enforcement she has tackled many of the same issues facing Oakland today. Her experience leading a department through culture change and her focus on mentoring the next generation of OPD leaders will serve Oakland well. The hard-working men and women of the Oakland Police Department deserve a leader of her caliber, and I am delighted to welcome her to Oakland.”
Chief Kirkpatrick is a seasoned officer who began her career in law enforcement with the Memphis (Tennessee) Police Department in 1982. She went on to earn the rank of Sergeant with the Redmond (Washington) Police Department where she served as Assistant Commander for the State Law Enforcement Academy and was a criminal procedure instructor and tactical officer.
Her extensive experience includes a specialized focus on police reform, training, and management. She is a Master Instructor for the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and has conducted extensive trainings nationally on Procedural Justice, Implicit Bias and Executive Leadership.
“I applied for this position because I was looking not for a job, but for an opportunity,” said incoming Chief Kirkpatrick. “I want to be a part of the team that makes the Oakland Police Department one of the most respected police departments in the nation. I have already been a leader of reform, but I want to be a leader of an agency that wants to be transformed. Oakland meets that profile.”
Chief Kirkpatrick is an attorney and also holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Memphis in 1984 and her Juris Doctorate in 1989 from Seattle University Law School. She has a BA in business administration from King College earned in 1982.
She is FBI LEEDS (Law Enforcement Executive Development School) certified.
Chief Kirkpatrick’s contract will go before the Oakland City Council for approval, anticipated to come this month.
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Erica Terry Derryck
(510) 238-7072