Oakland, CA - Tonight Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and City Administrator Ed Reiskin announced that Oakland’s Chief of Police LeRonne Armstrong has been placed on paid administrative leave after reviewing reports issued by Clarence Dyer & Cohen LLP. Effective immediately, Assistant Chief Darren Allison will serve as Acting Chief of the Oakland Police Department.
“The decision was not taken lightly, but we believe that it is critical for the safety of our community that we build trust and confidence between the Department and the public. We must have transparency and accountability to move forward as a safer and stronger Oakland.”
“Oakland and its Police Department have taken the negotiated settlement agreement very seriously and undertaken a number of steps to improve our systems for accountability and transparency. As part of that resolve, we have to hold officers accountable when they violate the public trust.”
Last year, the City of Oakland retained an independent law firm to investigate alleged misconduct by Oakland Police Department personnel as well as the department's investigation into the misconduct. The City received reports yesterday, January 18th, and understands that additional findings are forthcoming. This remains an ongoing personnel matter and as such the City and its leadership are not at liberty to comment further at this time.