Oakland mayor Thao set to receive list of candidates for vacant police chief job

After months of anticipation, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is finally set to receive a list of nominees to become the city’s next police chief.

The Oakland Police Commission voted Thursday night in closed session to forward the names of three finalists to Thao, following through on a promise to provide selected candidates before the end of the year. The names have not been publicly released and Thao’s office said Friday she has not yet received the list. 

“Mayor Thao looks forward to receiving the list and conducting her due diligence in reviewing the candidates,” said Francis Zamora, a spokesman for her office. 

The move comes after Thao threatened to call a state of emergency if the Police Commission failed to send her finalists by Dec. 31. She’s likely to pick one of the nominees — but there’s a chance she could reject all them and send the search process back to the beginning.

In October, a subset of commission members sent seven finalists to the mayor before they lost their seats on the body because they weren’t reappointed by a civilian panel. The police commission is now under new leadership.

That list included former police chief LeRonne Armstrong, whom Thao fired in February. Armstrong reapplied for his job in October, but it’s unclear whether he’s on the new list of finalists approved Dec. 14. 

Armstrong spokesman Sam Singer said he was unaware whether Armstrong is one of the finalists. Thao has previously said she has no intention of rehiring him. The Police Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Oakland’s charter requires the Police Commission to go through the applicants, narrow the list and send nominees to the mayor. Once Thao receives the names, she will review the candidates and decide whether to appoint one of them to the position. Thao could also reject all of the candidates.

“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,” Zamora said. “Finding the right leader for the police department is a priority and Mayor Thao intends to conduct this process in a timely manner.” 

Thao fired Armstrong after an independent investigation found he had mishandled two misconduct cases. In September, an arbitrator sided with Armstrong and said the disciplinary action against him for his alleged mishandling of the misconduct cases should be reversed and removed from his record. 

Thao, who came under fire from the local NAACP for dismissing Armstrong, had previously said she was troubled by his statements that he saw “no need for deep reflection or change within the Department.” 

Rashidah Grinage, a member of the Coalition for Police Accountability, a civilian-led police oversight group, said Friday she hopes that the commission and mayor will hold a public forum announcing the finalists and allow the public a chance to ask questions. 

In 2020, the last time the city searched for a new police chief, the Police Commission and former Mayor Libby Schaaf held a virtual public forum with the four finalists before Schaaf appointed Armstrong. 

Grinage said the forum is key so that “the community has an opportunity to evaluate them and weigh in.” 

Whoever Thao selects will be charged with leading the department out of its longstanding oversight by federal authorities, which has endured for more than 20 years. The oversight traces back to a 2000 lawsuit in which six men in West Oakland argued they had been falsely arrested on drug charges. The men accused four officers, known as the Riders, of systematically assaulting and framing them.  

Reach Sarah Ravani: sravani@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @SarRavani