Oakland's mayor, who has only been in office a month, made the courageous decision to fire Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong on Wednesday. Armstrong had come under fire for the way he handled two misconduct investigations into one of his sergeants.
At a press conference that afternoon, Mayor Sheng Thao stated, "I am no longer sure that Chief Armstrong can perform the job that is needed to realize the vision. Oakland needs a police force that accepts opportunities for development rather than dismissing criticism outright.
Because the commission's members didn't finish their inquiry in a timely manner, Thao claimed she made her conclusion independently of the Oakland Police Commission. She emphasized that she will cooperate with them to identify the new head, nevertheless.
The commission afterwards issued a statement in which they expressed appreciation for the mayor's choice but said that they had not been made aware of it beforehand.
The commissioners made it clear at their own meeting later on Wednesday night that they would not have fired Armstrong and that they had major doubts about the objectivity of the independent probe.