The grass must seem greener in Fremont for ex-Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, who quit his Oakland post in October, and now four months later is suddenly taking the job to be Fremont Chief of Police.
Back during Oakland’s Mayor Sheng Thao era, the city went more than a year without a police chief. Then they finally hired former Lubbock, Texas Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, who himself promptly lasted only 17 months on the job before resigning without explanation. So much for that year-long job search.
But Mitchell did not ride off into the sunset, he merely rode off to Fremont. KTVU reports that Mitchell just took the job as Fremont Chief of Police, another position that’s been technically long vacant, as previous interim chief Sean Washington has been serving as interim chief for more than four years.
Fremont spokesperson Geneva Bosques told KTVU that after a "nationwide executive search, the City has selected Mr. Floyd Mitchell to be Fremont's next Police Chief." She added that "Mr. Mitchell brings extensive experience and expertise in law enforcement to this role."
Rather amusingly, Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan seems to have learned of Mitchell’s hiring only when KTVU asked him about it. KTVU says that Sawlan “at first did not know that Mitchell had been chosen,” though explained that in Fremont, that decision falls on the City Manager.
But one can see why Mitchell might prefer the Fremont gig to Oakland. Per KTVU, both positions pay roughly the same $370,000 annual salary. And also per KTVU, Fremont “has no federal oversight, no civilian police commission that can hire or fire a chief, and a much lower crime rate.”
Related: Oakland Police Chief Resigns After 17 Months on the Job [SFist]
Image: Oakland Police Department
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