6:04 PM: Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and city Administrator Deanna Santana announced today that Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan will serve as the city’s interim police chief following the surprise resignation of Chief Anthony Batts earlier this week.
Jordan was sworn in at about 1:40 p.m. today at the conclusion of a news conference at City Hall.
Quan said that Jordan, who has been with the department for 23 years, is engaged with the community and well known to Oakland residents.
“It’s that kind of knowledge of this community, that kind of love for this community, that’s going to make him an effective chief,” Quan said.
Jordan said that when he first came to the city about a quarter-century ago, “I fell in love with Oakland.”
“This was an opportunity for me to give back some to the city of Oakland,” he said.
Jordan served as a patrol officer for 10 years and a field supervisor for 13 years, including a total of seven years with the department’s SWAT team. He also served as chief of police for Oakland schools from 2001 to 2004.
“I bring to you a very well-rounded, balanced career,” he said.
Santana said that she was reluctant to appoint Jordan or anyone else as a permanent police chief because of a pending hearing date in January on reforms required by a 2003 civil rights settlement.
That settlement ended a lawsuit filed by 119 Oakland citizens who alleged that four officers known as the “Riders” beat them, made false arrests and planted evidence on them in 2000.
In September, a U.S. district court judge warned that he may put the department under federal control because of delays in carrying out the reforms, which include increased field supervision, better training and improved investigation of citizen complaints.
A recent report by a court-appointed monitor said the Oakland Police Department is in full compliance with 32 of the reforms mandated in the settlement but has not fully complied with 19 additional measures.
Since the department may be placed under federal control by court order, Santana said the priority would be to bring the department into compliance with the terms of the settlement before appointing a permanent police chief.
“We need to get through the Jan. 26 hearing to know what the future of the department is,” Santana said. She said if the court did not order the police department under federal control, she would consider various options for police chief, including outside recruitment and appointing Jordan permanently.
Jordan said he is prepared to address the challenges in trying to bring the department into compliance with the settlement.
“The fact that we are required to do constitutional policing should not come as a surprise to anyone,” Jordan said.
Santana also said she’s working to appoint a former federal monitor in Los Angeles and Detroit, Thomas Frazier, as a special adviser to the city to assist in bringing the department into compliance with the required reforms.
Jordan also has the challenge of grappling with a recent spike in violent crime and homicides, as well as managing a department short on resources. Oakland recently received a federal grant to hire 25 new officers, giving the city a total of around 675 officers–still well short of the 800 officers it employed two years ago.
Quan said in the last few months she has been working with the police department on a plan to be more effective in using their limited resources that will be unveiled at a Neighborhood Safety Summit on Saturday.
Jordan has already served as acting police chief in Oakland; he was named to the post in February 2009 after former Chief Wayne Tucker decided to retire, saying he said he had lost faith in the City Council’s ability to fully fund the Police Department and implement reforms.
Jordan stepped down as chief when Batts was appointed following a nationwide search for a new police chief by then-Mayor Ron Dellums in August 2009. Batts came to Oakland from Long Beach, where he served as police chief for seven years.
Jordan served as assistant police chief for the two years that Batts served in Oakland.
Batts announced his resignation in a letter on Tuesday, saying that as chief he had limited control but full accountability for Oakland’s high crime rates, leaving a vacancy that Jordan has stepped into once again.
Batts’ last day with the department will be Nov. 5, though Jordan’s appointment as chief is effective immediately, and he is now vested with all the powers of police chief. Santana said that Batts would remain on the force in an advisory capacity until his departure.
“The term ‘interim’ will not affect my decisions,” Jordan said.
Scott Morris, Bay City News
2:01 PM: Oakland Mayor Jean Quan announced today that Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan will serve as the city’s interim police chief following the surprise resignation of Chief Anthony Batts earlier this week.
Jordan was sworn in at about 1:40 p.m. today at the conclusion of a news conference at City Hall.
Quan said that Jordan, who has been with the department for 23 years, is engaged with the community and well-known to Oakland residents.
“It’s that kind of knowledge of this community, that kind of love for this community, that’s going to make him an effective chief,” Quan said.
Jordan said that when he first came to the city about a quarter-century ago, “I fell in love with Oakland.”
“This was an opportunity for me to give back some to the city of Oakland,” he said.
Jordan served as a patrol officer for 10 years and a field supervisor for 13 years, and has served a total of seven years with the department’s SWAT team.
“I bring to you a very well-rounded, balanced career,” he said.
Batts, who was appointed chief by then-Mayor Ron Dellums in August
2009, announced his resignation in a letter on Tuesday, saying that as chief he had limited control but full accountability for Oakland’s high crime rates.
Jordan has already served as acting police chief in Oakland; he was named to the post in February 2009 after former Chief Wayne Tucker decided to retire, saying he said he had lost faith in the City Council’s ability to fully fund the Police Department and implement reforms.
Since Batts took over, Jordan has served as assistant chief.
Batts was hired after a nationwide search, and came to Oakland from Long Beach, where he had served as police chief for seven years.
Batts had a record of reducing violent crime in Long Beach, and it was hoped he could do the same for Oakland.
1:22 PM: Oakland Mayor Jean Quan announced today that Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan will serve as acting police chief for the city following the surprise resignation of Chief Anthony Batts earlier this week.
Batts, who was appointed by then-Mayor Ron Dellums in August 2009, announced his resignation in a letter on Tuesday, saying that as chief he had limited control but full accountability for Oakland’s high crime rates.
Jordan has already served as acting police chief in Oakland; he was named to the post in February 2009 after former Chief Wayne Tucker decided to retire, saying he said he had lost faith in the City Council’s ability to fully fund the Police Department and implement reforms.
Since Batts took over, Jordan has served as assistant chief.
Batts was hired after a nationwide search for someone to head the department, and came to Oakland from Long Beach, where he had served as police chief for seven years.
Batts had a record of reducing violent crime in Long Beach, and it was hoped he could do the same for Oakland.
Scott Morris, Bay City News
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