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Consultant says Oakland police chief search reflected community priorities: faster 911 response, staffing and accountability
Summary
A consultant for Oakland's police chief recruitment reported 194 online survey responses and six community forums; residents prioritized faster 911 response, improved staffing and constitutional policing. The commission will interview candidates and forward at least three finalists to the mayor.
Daniel Hahn, the senior consultant from Ralph Andersen & Associates overseeing Oakland's police chief search, told the Police Commission on April 23 that the recruitment 'a national posting that closed March 30' produced 20 candidate applications and substantial community input.
Hahn summarized outreach that included six community forums, more than 25 stakeholder interviews and an electronic survey. "There were 194 responses to the electronic survey," he said, and added that the engagement channels produced consistent priorities. "Some of the most common themes were'faster 911 response, adequate staffing and officer support, community engagement and honesty, accountability and integrity," Hahn said.
The consultant said respondents repeatedly flagged the negotiated settlement agreement and constitutional policing as top priorities for the next chief. Participants also emphasized the need for a chief who understands Oakland's political and cultural context, communicates well with community and department members and can manage and reform the department.
Chair Garcia Acosta thanked Hahn and the community participants, saying commissioners who attended forums found the findings consistent with public feedback. "We fell just shy of 200," the chair said of the survey response, noting the results gave the commission a useful baseline as it moves into candidate interviews.
Hahn said the commission will interview candidates it judges qualified and will forward at least three finalists to the mayor's office for the mayor's consideration between May and June. After that step, the mayor's office will conduct its own finalist process and the city hopes to announce a new chief in July.
Why it matters: The search is explicitly structured to center community input. Commissioners said the survey and forum results will shape interview questions and candidate screening. The process thus ties the commission's oversight role to a broader public engagement effort while preserving the formal steps that send finalists to the mayor.
What's next: The commission's ad hoc selection panel will begin candidate interviews; commissioners signaled they will use the community themes to prioritize which competencies to test in those interviews.
