By Brandon Patterson

The search for the next chief of Oakland’s police department may be nearing an end, as the Oakland Police Commission sent Mayor Sheng Thao a list of three final candidates last week. Thao now has the option of choosing from the three candidates or sending the list back for more options, which would draw out the already 10-month-long process even longer.

The city’s search of a new police chief has been long and messy. Oakland has been without a chief since February, when Thao fired former Chief LeRonne Armstrong for going to the press while on leave during an investigation into his handling of officer discipline at the department. Armstrong accused Oakland’s federal police monitor, who had made the original findings against Armstrong, of “corruption,” and denied any wrongdoing. In the fall, a third-party hearing officer hired to review the circumstances found that Armstrong had not necessarily broken any rules — but he also did not say whether he should be reinstated as police chief. Armstrong has been pushing to be reinstated, but Thao has said she will not do that.

Thao’s office told KTVU that the names of the three finalists will not be made public. “This is an important decision, and Mayor Thao will take the time that is necessary to select the person that will lead the Oakland Police Department,” the statement said. “Finding the right leader for the police department is a priority and Mayor Thao intends to conduct this process in a timely manner.”

But the process has already taken 10 months, with Thao previously threatening to declare a state of emergency — a move that would have allowed her to intervene in the selection process — because it was taking so long, and amid widespread concern about violence in the city. The Police Commission voted 5-1 to approve the list of finalists, with Commissioner Wilson Riles standing as the one holdout.

Meanwhile, local police accountability advocates argue that the search process has not been transparent enough.

“The process was far more transparent last time,” Jim Chanin, an attorney who was on the Police Commission panel that selected Armstrong under former Mayor Libby Schaaf, told KTVU. “I think it’s really important that [the candidates are] fully vetted to the public, that they have the opportunity to have the maximum support from the community,” said Chanin.

“We think it would be helpful if the city held a virtual public interview process where the public submitted questions ahead of time,” Millie Cleveland, chair of the Coalition for Police Accountability, also told KTVU.

Pushing back, the mayor’s office said that a public forum for appointees had not been done before 2020 and is not required by the city charter.

It is unclear whether Armstrong is one of the three finalists, though several news organizations have speculated as such.

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