Oakland police Chief Anthony Batts announced today that he plans to hire a former San Francisco interim police chief to fill a top spot in his department.
Jeff Godown, who served as interim chief in San Francisco for nearly four months earlier this year, has been chosen by Batts to serve as a deputy chief of police in charge of the department’s criminal investigations division.
“I’ve admired Chief Batts’ work in Long Beach and now in Oakland,” Godown said this morning. “It’s a great honor for me and I’m very excited about the opportunity.
The job offer is contingent upon completion of a background check, according to Oakland police. Godown said he is hoping to start with the department in late July or early August.
He was named San Francisco’s interim police chief in January after then-chief George Gascon was selected by outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom to take over as district attorney when Kamala Harris was elected California’s attorney general.
Godown served in the position until late April when new Mayor Ed Lee chose Ed Suhr to take over to head the department. Since then, he has been overseeing the city’s CompStat crime tracking program.
Godown previously served for about 25 years in the Los Angeles Police Department before joining Gascon in San Francisco as his second-in-command in 2009.
Batts said in a statement, “I believe that his experience will greatly benefit the department in achieving its goals and objectives.”
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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