OAKLAND (KRON) — Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has selected Anne Kirkpatrick as the new Oakland police chief.
City officials officially announced the selection Wednesday at noon.
Mayor Schaaf said in the press conference that they listened to the people of Oakland from a citywide survey.
She has demonstrated that she can hold other officers accountable, Schaaf said.
Mayor says Anne Kirkpatrick is not afraid to hold officers accountable when it comes to misconduct @kron4news https://t.co/iyJPzubiu8
— Dan Kerman (@DanKermanSF) January 4, 2017
Kirkpatrick was the former police chief in the city of Spokane, Washington and was leading organizational development inside the Chicago Police Department.
“I’m so excited to be here in Oakland and be your chief of police,” Kirkpatrick said.
She says she’s “interested in transformation” but didn’t provide specifics.
She said she has to earn the right to be the Oakland police chief from her fellow police officers.
Anne Kirkpatrick: I need to earn the right to be their chief @kron4news https://t.co/gWorluL9Kx
— Dan Kerman (@DanKermanSF) January 4, 2017
Kirkpatrick started policing in 1982 and has seen many cultural changes. She said it is tough being a police officer in the United States right now.
“What we need is leadership and I can promise you leadership,” Kirkpatrick said.
She is relocating from Chicago to Oakland. Kirkpatrick was in the Chicago Police Department for only 6 months before joining the Oakland police force.
“We fought hard to get her to consider Oakland but she’s had a long interest in Oakland,” Schaaf said. “We are very lucky to have her.”
Oakland Police Officers’ Association president Barry Donelan praised the decision of selecting Kirkpatrick.
“We are glad that the uncertainly surrounding the position of Oakland chief of police is finally settled,” Donelan said in a statement. “Oakland’s hard working police officers look forward to working collaboratively with Chief Kirkpatrick in serving our community.”
Kirkpatrick becomes the first female police chief in Oakland’s history.
Her hiring comes as Oakland had three different men lead its department in the span of six days last June.
The department has been embarrassed by a wide-ranging police sex scandal.
There was also a racist text scandal.
Besides the sex scandal, the police department has been under federal court oversight since 2003.
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This is the woman #Oakland Mayor @LibbySchaaf picked to, in her words, “root out what is clearly a toxic, macho, culture” in her police dept https://t.co/0ZyQy5ZLQa
— Grant Lodes (@GrantLodes) January 4, 2017