Oakland mayor says taking boss on vacation is not meant to be punished

OAKLAND, CA (KGO) — Newly elected Auckland Mayor Sheng Tao held a press conference on Saturday to talk about the city’s police chief, Leron Armstrong.

Chief Armstrong was placed on administrative leave after he reportedly failed to take action against a sergeant who tore the bumper off a neighbor’s car during an accident.

The sergeant later fired a pistol in an elevator at police headquarters.

“I want to make sure everyone understands this under our administration, that we take these findings seriously and it’s important that we consider taking the corrective action that is needed to make sure we stay on track to make sure we we are getting out of federal oversight,” Mayor Tao said. The mayor says she was in Washington, D.C. when the decision to send the boss on vacation was announced.

“At the same time, realizing that we have to do what we need to do to get out of control. Our goal here is not to be punitive. This is not a disciplinary action against Chief LeRon Armstrong, this is an opportunity to review the findings of the reports and let our oversight bodies act and do their job.

It’s a matter of public safety,” she said.

The mayor said sending a boss on paid administrative leave is not meant to be punished. “Like any other investigative investigation, when an officer is under investigation, he is placed on paid administrative leave.”

Auckland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas on Friday released a statement on how Mayor Tao is handling the matter.

Specifically, she writes, “I support her leadership … to keep our communities safe and build trust between the Oakland Police Department and the public.”

In the East Bay, we’re getting renewed reactions from officials and public figures to the unexpected decision to put Oakland Police Chief Leron Armstrong on paid leave for “dereliction of duty.” This came after the chief reportedly failed to act on allegations of misconduct by one of his own officers. The current head of the department is the deputy head of the department.

“The community supported Armstrong’s appointment as chief, I was one of them,” said John Jones, III.

Public defender John Jones III has long supported Oakland Police Chief LeRonn Armstrong.

“Someone from Oakland knew some of the elements to figure out what it takes to be from here,” Jones said.

Jones says his support is now wavering.

According to ABC7 I-Team sources, Armstrong was placed on paid administrative leave for “dereliction of duty” after he reportedly failed to take action against a sergeant who tore the bumper off a neighbor’s car during an accident. The sergeant later fired a pistol in an elevator at police headquarters. These details were made public in an investigation report into alleged misconduct by the OPD. New Auckland mayor Shang Tao and the city administrator called Armstrong on vacation. Both were unavailable for an interview on Friday, but said in a statement:

“The decision was not taken lightly, but we believe it is critical to the safety of our community that we build trust between the Department and the public. We must have transparency and accountability to move forward as a safer and stronger Auckland. “

“I was surprised to learn that we have put the chief on leave, we should work together as a council to find out what happened,” Auckland City Council member Noel Gallo said.

Gallo says he does not support the move. Others call for independent oversight of the matter.

“We need a group of civilians who have teeth and who will actually be in charge of this department, and until we have that, we will see it again and again,” said James Birch of the Anti Police-Terror Project.

The OPD remains under federal supervision for 20 years after past incidents of brutality and misconduct.

“I was on the council for 10 years and saw 10 leaders,” Gallo added.

Former Oakland Police Chief Ann Kirkpatrick calls it a failure. She was fired in 2020 for reporting alleged misconduct. She filed a lawsuit challenging her dismissal and won.

“One of the biggest problems for law enforcement is the problem of officers not reporting misconduct. I performed and got fired for it. So you want to talk about undermining police reform,” Kirkpatrick told ABC7 News. by phone.

Upon being sworn in as chief, Armstrong promised to remove the OPD from federal oversight. But many fear that this can only prolong it. It is unclear if Armstrong will continue his work.

“Whether he is fired or not is not my decision, but you have to stop hiring and firing people, we have to take this seriously. What needs to be done to make things right?” Jones said.

Mayor Tao has scheduled a press conference for Saturday morning to discuss the matter.

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