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Oakland aldermen reject immediate firing of police chief after public criticism
Summary
A motion to terminate Oakland Police Chief Earl on the night of the board meeting failed after a roll-call vote; proponents cited rising crime and internal concerns, while the chief defended department transparency and ongoing investigations.
A motion to immediately terminate Police Chief Earl failed during the Town of Oakland Board of Aldermen meeting, with the motion receiving two yes votes, one no and two abstentions, the board president announced. The motion was introduced after a board member said they had lost confidence in the chief's leadership amid recent crime concerns.
The motion mattered because the town charter permits department directors to serve at the pleasure of the board, and the vote tested whether the board would remove the town's top law-enforcement official without a longer process. After discussion, the motion did not pass and the chief remained in his position.
A board member made the motion on the floor, saying they had "lost all confidence in your ability to continue leading this police department" and moved for immediate termination. The statement cited what the speaker described as a pattern of insufficient public communication about violent crimes, a rift between the town police and the sheriff's office, and a high volume of traffic enforcement actions reported in recent months.
Chief Earl responded on the record that many of the accusations were "baseless," that the department posts information publicly and that many matters could not be discussed because they are active investigations. "We have ongoing investigations that we can't discuss," he said, and noted deputies — not town police — handle school policing.
Vice Mayor Cates called for following the town charter's removal process. During roll call, Alderman Austin voted yes, Alderman Hummel voted no, Vice Mayor Cates announced an abstention, and the board president reported the final tally as two yes, one no and two abstentions; the motion therefore failed.
After the vote the mayor said he would ask Town Manager Harvey Ellis to follow up on specific concerns raised about policies and communications.
The board did not take further formal disciplinary action at the meeting. Several aldermen and the chief referred to ongoing internal or criminal investigations that they said limited what could be discussed in open session.
